Honoring Generations of Service: Battelle Sponsors Honor Flight Columbus Mission 157

For 67 veterans, one November day offered a chance to reflect on decades of service, remember those who did not come home and experience a long-deserved expression of gratitude.

Battelle sponsored Honor Flight Columbus Mission 157, brought veterans from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia together for a journey from Columbus to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials honoring their service and sacrifice.

The mission represented an extraordinary cross-section of the veteran community. Among those traveling was married veterans, brothers, women veterans and Purple Heart recipients. The group included veterans whose military experiences stretched from the Korean War and Vietnam War to the Cold War and Gulf War era. One of the oldest participants was a 94-year-old Korean War veteran.

Together, the veterans represented different generations, military branches and experiences. Yet for one day, they shared the same mission: to honor the past, connect with fellow veterans and receive the recognition they earned through their service.

A Journey Dedicated to America's Veterans

Honor Flight Network was founded with a powerful purpose: to celebrate America's veterans by inviting them to share in a day of honor at the memorials built to recognize their service.

Participation gives veterans an opportunity to visit Washington with fellow service members, remember friends and colleagues who served alongside them and share stories with people who understand their experiences. Honored veterans travel at no cost.

For the veterans of Mission 157, sponsored by Battelle, the experience began early in the morning at John Glenn Columbus International Airport. After arriving in Washington, the veterans spent the day visiting some of the nation's most meaningful military landmarks, including Arlington National Cemetery, the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, the U.S. Navy Memorial, World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Vietnam Women's Memorial.

At each stop, the monuments provided more than an opportunity to learn about history. For the people on Mission 157, it represented the history they had experienced.

Some veterans reflected quietly. Others exchanged memories with fellow veterans and volunteers. Throughout the day, strangers stopped to shake their hands and offered a simple message: Thank you for your service.

Vietnam veteran Dwayne Jackson described the care veterans experienced throughout the Honor Flight.

“They do such a good job of taking care of the veterans and making them feel important and included,” he said.

It is a simple sentiment, but one that captures an important part of the Honor Flight experience. The mission is not only about visiting Washington. It is about making sure veterans understand that their sacrifices remain important to the country they served.

For 94-year-old Korean veteran, Arlie Rodhe the mission gave him an opportunity to bond with others who had similar experiences as him.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to catch up, share old stories and reflect on your time in the service alongside people who truly understand," Rodhe said. “I’m just incredibly thankful to be here, experiencing this journey with fellow veterans who walked the same path.”

Welcoming a New Generation of Honor Flight Veterans

Mission 157 was also significant because of the generations represented on the flight.

Honor Flight began prioritizing World War II veterans and expanded over time to recognize veterans of later conflicts. Honor Flight Columbus has now expanded eligibility to include veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces on or before July 31, 1991.

That creates an opportunity for more veterans whose military careers extended into the Gulf War era to participate. Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm may still feel relatively recent to many Americans, but more than three decades have passed since those events. The youngest members of that generation are growing older, making the opportunity to preserve their stories and recognize their service increasingly important.

Mission 157 brought some of those veterans together with veterans from Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War era. The result was an experience that connected generations. Veterans whose service occurred decades apart traveled together, shared stories and found common ground in experiences what few outside the military can fully understand.

Battelle Employees Join the Mission

For Battelle, sponsoring Mission 157 was about more than helping veterans travel to Washington. It also gave Battelle employees an opportunity to participate directly in a day dedicated to service.

Battelle has a long history of supporting the nation's military and national security missions through science and technology. Honor Flight provides a different, deeply personal way to recognize the individuals behind that service.

Battelle employees joined veterans and volunteers during Mission 157, helping make a demanding day of travel and memorial visits possible. Among them was Battelle Director of Talent Acquisition John McCracken who has volunteered with Honor Flight for several years.

For McCracken, supporting veterans through Honor Flight provides an opportunity to give something back to people who spent a portion of their lives serving others.

“I help with loading and unloading wheelchairs, making sure veterans have water and any additional support they need as they are visiting our nation’s capital,” he said. “I grew up in a military family and my father served for 30 years. To be able to give back to the veteran community and help support them is really rewarding.”

Throughout the day, employees and other volunteers served as companions, guides and supporters. Just as importantly, they listened.

They heard stories about military service, family, friendships and experiences that veterans had carried with them for decades. Those conversations are part of what makes an Honor Flight so meaningful. Memorials preserve the history of America's conflicts. Veterans preserve the human stories behind that history.

Welcome Home

After a full day in Washington, the veterans boarded the flight back to Ohio, but Mission 157 was not finished.

Waiting at John Glenn Columbus International Airport were family members, friends and supporters ready to give the veterans one more experience: the welcome home they deserved.

For many veterans, that recognition carries tremendous meaning.

That is particularly true for some Vietnam veterans, many of whom returned from service decades ago without the public demonstrations of gratitude commonly associated with military homecomings today. An Honor Flight cannot rewrite that history, but it can create a new memory.

It can give veterans a moment to experience the applause, handshakes, hugs and words of gratitude that may have been missing when they first returned home.

The emotion of that welcome also extends beyond the people who served. Spouses, children, grandchildren and friends have an opportunity to celebrate a part of their loved one's life that they may know only through stories and photographs.

When the veterans of Mission 157 returned to Columbus, they came home as a group that had spent the day remembering the past while creating new memories together.

Continuing a Mission of Gratitude

Mission 157 demonstrates why opportunities like Honor Flight continue to matter. Every veteran carries a story. Some stories have been told many times. Others have remained private for decades. As veterans from earlier conflicts grow older and Gulf War-era veterans increasingly become eligible for recognition programs, preserving those experiences becomes even more important.

The veterans aboard Mission 157 represented four states and generations of American military service. Some traveled beside a spouse or sibling who also wore the uniform. Others shared the experience with veterans they had met for the first time that morning. By the end of the day, they were connected by something bigger.

They walked among the monuments created to honor their service. They remembered friends and fellow service members. They had shared their stories. And they had been reminded that their sacrifices had not been forgotten.

For Battelle, sponsoring Honor Flight Columbus Mission 157 was an opportunity to help create that experience and express gratitude to the men and women who answered the call to serve. While their missions may have taken place decades ago, our responsibility to honor them continues today.