Jamie Ver Voort, a nurse educator at ThedaCare, never had the chance to meet her grandfather, Aaron G. Dix, Sr., who passed away before she was born. She knew he had served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and she wanted to understand more about his experience.
That’s when she came across an opportunity to serve as a guardian for the Old Glory Honor Flight, a program that honors war veterans by bringing them to Washington D.C. to visit the memorials that commemorate their service. In total, the Honor Flight Network brings about 22,500 veterans to D.C. each year.
Nearly 80 years after her grandfather’s service, Ver Voort took part in the Old Glory Honor Flight mission 70, which occurred on Sept. 11, 2024.
“I was paired with two Navy veterans, and I thought that was really special because I never had the opportunity to meet my grandpa and I never really got to hear about any of his experiences,” explained Ver Voort, a former inpatient nurse and now a RN Clinical Educator for ThedaCare Regional Medical Centers-Appleton and Neenah.
The opportunity profoundly impacted Ver Voort.
“It gave me goosebumps immediately,” she said. “It was an incredibly special day to go to Washington, D.C.”
Adding to the poignancy of the day, the Old Glory Honor Flight landed in Baltimore at exactly 9:11 a.m. The Honor Flight mission included veterans from both the Vietnam and Korean wars.
Ver Voort went through a special training session for guardians to learn how to best support the veterans. Each Honor Flight also has a physician and medical guardians on board. While a few veterans needed wheelchair support, Ver Voort’s veterans were independent, so she made sure they stayed hydrated throughout the warm day and took breaks when needed. Ver Voort also acted as her veterans’ memory keeper. She took hundreds of photos which she compiled into a memory book. Also included in the book was information about each memorial that could be shared with families.
“The veterans couldn’t believe that someone would just want to come and help them out for the day and be there to honor them, so that was really moving for me,” Ver Voort said. “It was truly special for me to be able to experience Washington, D.C. and see these memorials with people who have lived these experiences.”
The one-day mission began at the Appleton International Airport at about 5 a.m. When the Old Glory Honor Flight arrived in Baltimore, the group of 91 veterans were met by the BWI Brownies, a motorcycle group which escorted the veterans to their first stop — the World War II Memorial, which pays tribute to more than 405,000 who died.
The day also included a visit to the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, also called The Wall.
“It was a stark reminder that nearly 60,000 people had passed or remain missing from the Vietnam War,” Ver Voort said. “You could see the veterans were searching for the names of some of their service member friends etched into the black granite of The Wall. It was really moving.”
The Veterans visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, also called The Wall. The veterans searched for the names of some of their service member friends etched into the black granite of The Wall.
The group also stopped at the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, viewing its iconic Battle of Iwo Jima statue and receiving a surprise silent precision drill in honor of the veterans. They also visited Arlington National Cemetery to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Because the mission took place on Sept. 11, many of the buildings in Washington, D.C. were draped in American flags. The group also witnessed the site where American Airlines Flight 77 had struck the Pentagon in 2001.
Ver Voort and her veterans also spent time learning about each other’s lives throughout the experience.
“One of the veterans was only 17 years old when he joined the military,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine being that young and then taking that type of responsibility at such a young age.”
The day concluded about 9 p.m. with Old Glory’s arrival back in Appleton, where the group was met by cheering crowds.
“The welcome home was very much a surprise to them,” Ver Voort said. “To see hundreds of people there to welcome them home — when a lot of those veterans didn’t get that welcome home during the Vietnam War — was heartwarming.”
That healing and connection-building aspect of the Honor Flight ties in directly to ThedaCare’s mission of improving health and well-being, as well as empowering each person to live their unique, best life.
Ver Voort explained the experience helped her to feel closer to her grandfather.
“I felt this was a good way to understand my family’s history, as well as other military service members in general,” she said. “I feel like I have much more awareness now, too. When I see someone that has a Vietnam veteran hat on, I’ll make special note to go and thank them for their service.”
Hundreds of people welcomed the veterans home at the Appleton International Airport after the Honor flight.
