As the 35 veterans and 21 guardians from Ohio's Columbus Honor Flight made their way off the aircraft, passengers waiting in the terminal joined the volunteer greeters in cheering and applause that could be heard across BWI’s B-terminal. The applause from waiting passengers continued as the volunteers escorted the veterans to an awaiting bus. The three Civil Air Patrol greeters then joined the members of the Armed Forces in a line formation and rendered a final salute as, despite rainy weather, the veterans departed for a day of reflection at the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C.

Among those greeted was George P. Strohm, a veteran of the United States Army who helped secure the island of Japan following the country’s surrender to allied forces. George happily exclaimed, “This was all such a complete surprise and quite a treat.” The Fort McHenry members let George and the other veterans know that their service was greatly appreciated and would never be forgotten.

The Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices.  They transport veterans to Washington D.C. to visit and reflect at the memorial made in their honor.  Top priority is given to senior veterans – World War II survivors, along with other veterans who may be terminally ill.  To learn more about the Honor Flight Network and how you can assist, visit www.honorflight.org.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 58,000 members nationwide. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 72 lives in fiscal year 2009. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counter-drug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 23,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for 68 years.

More than 1,500 members of CAP serve in Maryland. Last fiscal year wing members flew 42 search and rescue missions and were credited with 31 finds. For more information, visit www.mdcap.org.

The Fort McHenry Composite Squadron meets weekly on Tuesday evenings at the Catonsville Armory, 130 Mellor Avenue in Catonsville, Md. Prospective members are always welcome. For more information or directions, visit the squadron website at www.ftmchenrycap.org.