The largest Honor Flight Philadelphia trip yet was welcomed back to Delaware County, today, Nov. 2, with a red carpet and cheering throng at Saint Kevin Parish on Sproul Road, Springfield. Volunteer firefighters made fire ladder arches above Sproul and at the entrance to the parking lot from which dangled huge American flags.
Honor Flight is national non-profit organization founded in 2005 to give aging or terminally ill veterans an all-expense-paid day of honor in Washington D.C. The local group founded by Springfield resident Andrew Schiavello has been striving to limit the participants to World War II veterans since their average age is over 90.
This trip featured seven buses with over 150 veterans who were matched by the same number of guardians. Among the stops were Arlington National Cemetery, the Women’s Memorial, the Iwo
Jima, Korea and Vietnam memorials and of course the War World II
Memorial.
Upon their arrival they were treated to a dinner and floor show featuring the Manhattan Dolls in the parish hall.
In the welcoming contingent were Boy Scouts, a group of flag wavers from Saint Anastasia School, military re-enactors, Congressman Pat Meehan, County Councilman David White, Media Mayor Bob McMahon, Swoop from the Philadelphia Eagles and the always entertaining and internationally renowned Phillie Phanatic.
The music for the red carpet walk to the hall was provided by bagpiper William Erskine who played without let up.