Voices of service: Veterans reflect on Honor Flight’s legacy, lessons

Editor's Note: This article is the third in a three-part series exploring the origins, impact, and enduring legacy of the Honor Flight program. In advance of the historic first Honor Flight to be conducted on a military aircraft Sept. 21, we look back at how a simple idea near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base grew into a national movement that continues to honor America's veterans. This milestone flight, made possible through close collaboration with the Air Force Reserve and key support from the 445th Airlift Wing, marks a new chapter in the program's evolution, blending tradition with military partnership to elevate its mission.

For retired Brig. Gen. Karl McGregor, the journey from enlisting as an Airman in 1976 to pinning on a star four decades later is one marked by sacrifice, service and a deep bond with his fellow veterans. For retired Col. Steve Wilkerson, the memories of standing on the tarmac in Hanoi during Operation Homecoming and helping American prisoners of war step back onto U.S. aircraft remain as vivid today as they did in 1973.

Both men will join nearly 165 others this weekend aboard a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft from the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB for the first Honor Flight ever flown on a military aircraft. For them, the trip is not just about seeing memorials, it is about connection, healing and passing on hard-won lessons to the next generation of Airmen.

"This is their homecoming"

McGregor knows firsthand the difference a welcome home makes. Having deployed multiple times, including Kuwait, Afghanistan and Qatar, he recalls the overwhelming gratitude Americans expressed when he and his crews returned home. But he also knows Vietnam veterans never received that same recognition.

"The Vietnam vets didn't get any of that," McGregor said. "And this is what Honor Flight does now. This is their homecoming. The public is much more respectful, much more thankful for what they endured, even decades later."

For McGregor, the trip is also about family - the chosen family that forms when veterans gather.

"It's a shared background, a shared emotional experience, a shared language," he said. "There are so many shortcut conversations. You mention a name, and three layers deep you'll find a connection."

"I just want to listen"

Wilkerson, who retired after 38 years of service, said Honor Flight offers something he has seen change lives time and again: the chance for veterans to tell their stories.

"When veterans open up, it makes all the difference," Wilkerson said.

He recalled a former POW who bought a cassette recorder the day he was released, explaining, "I've got all of this up in my head, and I've got to get it out. It's going to make a difference for others."

Wilkerson has carried that lesson into his own life, giving presentations on Operation Homecoming for years.

"If you're in a room full of veterans, there's no better place to open up," he said. "It makes a difference if they can let it out, and it makes a difference if they have someone there to support them."

A bond across generations

Both McGregor and Wilkerson see Honor Flight as more than history - it is a bridge between generations. With younger Airmen flying this mission and those serving as guardians, the opportunity to learn is profound.

"My advice to them is simple: get engaged," McGregor said. "If you see a veteran wearing a hat, talk to them. They want to hear your story, and they want to share theirs. You'll open up an entire avenue you didn't know existed."

Wilkerson echoed that sentiment, urging today's service members not to underestimate the impact of a simple thank you, or the importance of listening.

"It's not just about sacrifice," he said. "It's about what's inside you, and what that difference makes to those around you."

Full circle at Wright-Patt

For these veterans, boarding the C-17 on Sunday will carry layers of meaning.

McGregor once commanded units that flew the very same aircraft type. Wilkerson's career began as a young Airman on the flightline, his journey intertwined with the mobility missions that defined the Air Force Reserve.

Now, together with their brothers and sisters in arms, they will step aboard a military aircraft not for war, but for remembrance.

"It's a family," McGregor said simply. "A family you choose, but one that will always be there for you."

For Wilkerson, the impact of the day will live beyond the monuments.

"This Honor Flight is about connection," he said. "It's about looking a fellow veteran in the eye and saying, 'I understand.' And for younger service members, it's a chance to see what service really means, not just in uniform, but for a lifetime."

As the C-17 lifts off from Wright-Patterson, carrying veterans whose service spans from World War II to Desert Storm, the significance will not be lost. For some, it will be a long-delayed welcome home. For others, it will be one more chance to share, to heal, and to teach.

And for all, it will be a reminder that the mission of Honor Flight is far from over.