BRADENTON — Battle-hardened veterans who didn’t cry when they sustained combat wounds shed tears when the bugler perfectly played taps at Bradenton Elks Lodge #1511.
Voices that shouted orders over the din of battle choked up during the singalong featuring “I’m Proud to Be an American” and the Armed Forces Medley.
Those who knew they would never get there in person sniffled as they saw videos of the memorials in Washington, D.C. commemorating their service in granite.
Feisty Gladys Collins, the oldest veteran in attendance at age 97, had to hold back tears when her fellow vets gave her a standing ovation for her service.
In short, a grand time was had by all at the At-Home Honor Flight Luncheon and Show at Bradenton Elks Lodge #1511 on Sept. 26.
The first-ever event was designed to honor veterans who are physically unable to go on an actual Honor Flight, said Bill Orr, an Elk and one of the organizers.
An Honor Flight is a difficult but rewarding day trip by plane to Washington D.C.’s war memorials, he said, with the next one scheduled through Southwest Florida Honor Flight on Oct. 20. Applications are accepted at swflhonorflight.org from veterans and “guardians” who are assigned to a vet for the day.
Former U.S. Marine Louis Roman, who served in Desert Storm, has volunteered on Honor Flights, which fly veterans for free on guided tours to see the National World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and Lincoln Memorial. Some Honor Flight trips also include stops at the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, Air Force Memorial, Navy Memorial, Military Women’s Memorial and the Pentagon Memorial.
He said he attended the At-Home Honor Flight to “pay it forward.”
Former Navy flight officer Donovan Lewis, who served as the flag-bearer for the ceremony, put it differently: “Anything we can do for vets, we do.”
The patriotic event drew more than 100 people to the Elks Lodge, which presented a luncheon, music, memorabilia displays, raffles, and the highlight — a video tour of the memorials.
The Elks presented Quilts of Valor to two veterans, Air Force veteran Paul Hollingsworth and Army veteran Richard Wayne Kall. Since the nationwide program began 23 years ago, more than 450,000 unique quilts have been presented to veterans for comfort.
The Rosie the Riveters group, sporting the red kerchiefs of the iconic WWII poster “Rosie,” posed with veterans in front of a 48-star flag used during WWII.
Air Force veteran Abraham Padilla was invited to play “Taps” on his bugle at the event, which brought some to tears. Many people don’t know that there are lyrics to “Taps” because it’s always an instrumental solo, he said.
“Day is done, gone the sun,” a nearby vet began to sing.
The veterans were treated to a singalong featuring the Armed Forces Medley, where veterans from each branch of the service stand and sing their song as it is played.
Everyone stood for “I’m Proud to Be an American.”
Collins, the 97-year-old Air Force veteran, served as a clerk typist to a flight surgeon during the Korean War. She went on an Honor Flight in 2022, but wanted to relive the memories at the At-Home event.
Known for pressing her uniforms to perfection, Collins said she still irons her clothing, even the clothes that don’t need ironing.
She remembers when the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport was a military base, Sarasota Field, during WWII. She used to take her kids there to watch the planes come in and take off.
“You never get that out of your system,” she said.
She joined up in 1953 after her high school boyfriend was killed in the war when a cigarette sparked an explosion while men were cleaning their guns, she said.
Living in the barracks, she and three other girls became friendly and “went everywhere together,” she said.
“I’m the last one of our group,” Collins said. “They were the best three years of my life.”
The highlight of the event, a dramatic video produced by Orr and Randy Taylor, described the memorials in Washington D.C. and the hundreds of people lined up at the airport to greet the Honor Flight veterans as they returned.
“That’s the way they lined up,” Collins said. “It was fabulous.”
Reflecting everyone’s feeling at the end of the program, she said simply, “That was beautiful.”
Cindy Lane is a staff writer for the Tampa Bay Beacons. She can be reached at clane@tbnweekly.com.
