At Sun City Aliante, veterans get long-delayed thank-yous

When World War II and Korean War veterans returned home, many were expected to “come back to work and get back to their life” immediately, said Honor Flight Southern Nevada Executive Director Belinda Morse. Recognition wasn’t part of their sudden reintegration.

Honor Flight aims to make up for lost time by honoring the veterans for their service with a twice-yearly event, said Morse, of Henderson.

“We’re learning as a nation to acknowledge what our service members have done,” she said. “It’s just taken forever to do.”

The nonprofit organization accepts applications for military veterans interested in taking a trip — usually in April or October — to visit seven monuments in Washington, D.C., including the landmark honoring the war they fought in. The Honor Flight Network was created in 2005 by Earl Morse, a physician assistant and retired Air Force captain who is not related to Belinda Morse, and Jeff Miller, a small-business owner and the son of a World War II veteran. There are 130 Honor Flight programs worldwide, Morse said, adding that the organization hopes to expand to include Vietnam War veterans.

The most recent trip was Oct. 27-29, when 27 veterans — 22 who served in WWII and five in the Korean War — visited the nation’s capital. They were allowed to bring a guardian (family member or friend) at that person’s expense; volunteers also were available to escort them, Morse said.

“I think it means a lot to all of the veterans just to get the recognition,” Morse said. “It’s more than just seeing the memorials. We have a lot of things that we do to show appreciation to them, some of which we keep as a surprise.”

WWII veteran John Parrs, 92, took the Washington trip this year.

“I want to go again,” he said, adding that he hadn’t been to the capital for 40 years.

Tony Lopez of the north valley said he was surprised when his father, Alex, sought to apply to attend, because he rarely spoke about his time in WWII. He said he’s glad he was able to share the experience by serving as his father’s guardian.

“I was amazed,” he said. “All of the veterans were treated with a great amount of respect that they deserved, but they never had anyone thank them for saving the world.”

Alex Lopez was assigned to serve as a guard for German Nazi Party military leader Hermann Göring during the Nuremberg war-crimes trials. A photo of Alex and another guard, standing behind Göring, is included in several museums and historical books, he said. He added that he knew only two other Mexico-born soldiers who served in the war.

“(The trip) was very nice,” he said of his time in Washington. “I liked the parade at the airports.”

When veterans return from the trip, they are welcomed at the airport by friends and family members, Girl Scout troops, volunteers and other organizations. A Girl Scout troop creates signs bearing the veterans’ names, Morse said.

World War II Navy veteran Raymond Haray said “it was the first appreciation I ever had for being in WWII. It’s been almost 70 years.” Haray, 90, lives in Michigan and attended the trip with his daughter Leza, who lives in Las Vegas. She applied for him to attend with the Las Vegas group.

The Las Vegas-area veterans were invited to a welcome-home party and luncheon Dec. 4 at Sun City Aliante, where they received a photo album filled with pictures from the event and a quilt from the Quilts of Valor Foundation of Nevada. Quilts of Valor has been donating quilts to Honor Flight since 2015, Nevada leader Victoria Colburn-Hall said.

“We had tears, hugs and kisses (when we gave them out),” she said, adding, “It makes them feel like what they did mattered and who they are today matters. It’s a reflection that people care.”

Contact Kailyn Brown at kbrown@viewnews.com or 702-387-5233. Follow @kailynhype on Twitter.