Veteran grateful for Honor Flight

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the hundreds of people at the Cedar Rapids airport April 23 to express their gratitude for our service, World War II and Korea. I am a Marine who served in both. I never received a previous welcome home from any of my wartime experience, causing one to wonder if anyone really cared. Three Purple Hearts in Korea, was it worth it?

When I walked into the airport with my daughter, Joni, who had been my guardian on a flight to Washington, D.C. and back, we were stunned and extremely emotional to the point of tears as we were met by my wife, sister, nieces, nephews, friends, vocal music, band music and hundreds of smiling men, women and children waiting to shake our hand, give a hug and say thank you for your service. Unbelievable.

Cedar Rapids, you are the greatest. Thanks also to all of those who put together the Honor Flight.

John Sackett

Cedar Rapids