Four Vietnam War veterans from Greensboro — Bryce Abel, Scott Cowern, Russ Gibson, and Bill Lewis — were part of a group of 14 veterans on board the 25th Middle Georgia Honor Flight that flew veterans to Washington, D.C. on March 29 to see war memorials.
Middle Georgia Honor Flight’s mission is to enable veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam-era wars, as well as any terminally ill veteran, to visit the memorials of armed conflict in Washington, D.C., at no cost to the veterans.
This mission is made possible through the generosity of local volunteers and sponsors, who give what they can to provide this unique experience to the men and women who have served the country.
For the Greensboro veterans, the visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was extra special because March 29 was National Vietnam War Veterans Day, which marks the anniversary of the date in 1973 when the United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, was disestablished and the last U.S. combat troops departed Vietnam.
The anniversary day is designated as a time for Americans to thank and honor Vietnam veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial contains the names of 58,318 Americans who gave their lives in service to their country.
Vietnam veteran Jan Scruggs dreamed of the memorial for his fallen comrades, and by 1979, a Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund was established.
A design competition was announced, and Yale architecture student Maya Lin’s design was selected as the winner. The memorial dedication on Nov. 11, 1982, included a 56-hour reading at Washington National Cathedral of all the engraved names of the dead.
According to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, “the central element of Lin’s memorial is the shiny black granite wall in a wide V shape, with one ‘arm’ directed toward the Lincoln Memorial and the other toward the Washington Monument. The faces of visitors are reflected in the walls bearing the etched names of the 58,318 men and women who died in combat or are listed as missing in action.”
Directories are located near the wall for visitors to look up names.
Other features include the Three Serviceman statue, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, the In Memory plaque, and a flagpole that flies both the U.S. and the MIA-POW flag. That pole carries the insignia of the five branches of the Armed Forces.
Cowern, an Air Force veteran who served as a munitions specialist during the conflict, had visited the Vietnam Memorial before but said it was just as impressive the second time around.
“There are so many people there looking for the name of someone they knew,” Cowern said. “It’s meaningful for them to find the name of a friend or relative and reflect.”
He acknowledged that many visitors left behind items in memoriam to those who have served.
“Anything you can imagine, you might find [at the wall],” Cowern said.
He said he also got a chance to experience the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery and visit the Air Force Memorial located on a promontory overlooking the cemetery, the Pentagon, the Potomac River, and Washington, D.C.
Gibson, an Army veteran, said the honor flight volunteers deserve a lot of recognition for how the trip was put together.
Veterans flew out of Warner Robins Air Force Base and had a motorcycle escort to the Arlington Cemetery, he said.
“It was breathtaking, overwhelming,” Gibson said. “Two groups of school children came up and asked if they could shake our hands. The event was awe-inspiring. It was 180 degrees different than when we were in the service.”