Honor Flight Ceremony

_{May 24, 2022}
On Thursday, May 12th, 2022, Darby Glenn staff had the chance to attend the Honor Flight Ceremony at the Columbus International Airport for an opportunity to honor one of our very own residents, Ora Johnson. Ora returned from Vietnam after serving in the U.S. Army in March of 1972. Darby Glenn has the honor of serving and caring for over 15 Veteran residents, Ora being one of them.

Ora specifically remembers the day he returned home from Vietnam, as there was no one there to welcome him home. None of his family or his friends. This memory is one that still hurts him to think about to this day. After learning that Ora was selected for the Honor Flight trip, Darby Glenn staff made it a priority to be there when he returned from the trip and to make sure he never stepped off a plane alone ever again. A lot of the facility staff met at the airport with posters and joined the crowd of hundreds of families lined up around the airport's lobby waiting. The return home was aired on local news stations, bagpipers were playing, and hundreds of people waited and gathered for the return of the Honor Flight, softly singing God Bless America.



Ora was so surprised to see the familiar faces of Darby Glenn cheering for him in the crowd. We asked Ora what his favorite part about the trip was, and he said that it was all so exciting; not one part was his favorite. He did mention how surprised he was to see us cheering in the giant sea of people that he cried tears of joy and emotion.

Honor Flight’s mission is to celebrate America’s Veterans by inviting them to our nation’s memorials. The Honor Flight trip gives Veterans the chance to meet other Veterans, remember friends, and share their stories and experiences with each other. Since its formation in 2005, the Honor Flight Network has taken more than 245,000 Veterans to Washington D.C. The incredible part is that the project solely runs on donations and volunteers.

The experience, to witness one of our very own residents participate in this amazing opportunity, brought a lot of our staff to tears and will be a memory of a lifetime for many. We are so lucky to have attended this ceremony for Ora and hope to get more of our Darby Glenn Veterans the chance to participate in the Honor Flight in the future. The evening was filled with nothing but smiles and happy tears!

View more photos from the Honor Flight Ceremony on our Facebook page!

Darby Glann on Facebook