Daughter Reads “Mail Call”
My father wanted to express his gratitude for his recently completed Honor Flight (Oct. 20 – 23, 2014).
My father is 94 years old, legally blind and has very limited hearing. Unfortunately, dementia means it is sometimes difficult for him to have a meaningful conversation with other people. Despite this, I am sure he will remember parts of the trip forever.
My father is a 30 year veteran of the Navy, enlisting the day after Pearl Harbor. His 30 years in the Navy meant that he was frequently at sea and not at home with his family. I grew up understanding that my father had an important job to do for our country, but nevertheless I always missed him immensely.
Since Dad cannot see enough to read, I read all the letters during “Mail Call” to him. He sat very still and did not say a word but as I continued to read the letters a tear rolled down his cheek. It was then that I realized that even though it was difficult for him to express his feelings, the events of this trip had made it past his physical and mental difficulties and had touched his heart.
Thank you again for the opportunity to share this special time with my Dad. I feel blessed to have spent time with so many wonderful people. What a great group!
We will be forever grateful for the opportunity to participate in this wonderful experience. Thank you, again. We appreciate all you did!
Sherry Sweetman, Daughter of Willis Cook
I went on the honor flight on April 1-3 and recall vividly the event of mail call on our return flight. Like you father, there was not a dry eye on the plane among veterans when we read the very nice letters from children. First, it was a complete surprise but brought back many memories of mail call days. Second, it came at the end of our trip which, in itself, was a wonderful experience being shared by fellow WW2 Vets.
Since my trip, I have talked to a number of Vets who had not gone and gave them the info for them to get enrolled. I live here in Prescott and hardly a day goes by without someone thanking me for my service and I am particularly taken aback when a student in probably the 4th or 5th grade thanks me. An interesting note here is that very seldom does a high school aged student thank me. Maybe someday they will realize what changes came about in our country because of WW2. Thanks for your letter. Dave B.