Honor Flight Columbus is proud to be flying our 10,000th Veteran to Washington D.C. on October 10, 2024. To commemorate this significant milestone, we will be sharing the inspiring stories of 10 Veterans. Each story we share will represent 1,000 of the 10,000 Veterans we have had the honor of flying. Follow along as we honor, share, and celebrate the heroes of our country.
Douglas Allen Schmitt was born May 8, 1958. His military career began at the young age of 18 when he enlisted straight out of high school. He graduated in June of 1976 and left for the Army on Oct 5. He comes from a long line of family who served in the military including his father, grandfather, and uncles. In fact, his last name changed spelling due to his grandfather’s service. When Schmitt’s grandfather enlisted during World War I, he removed the ‘d’ from the family name to hide the fact that he was too young to enlist.
Schmitt left for boot camp at Fort Dix New Jersey. The experience was not as challenging as anticipated but admitted that at times he found it mentally tough. He felt that being so young, he was physically able to complete training with less difficulty than if he had enlisted later. After he completed boot camp, he went through Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort Eustis in Virginia. He was trained as a helicopter rotor blade mechanic. Originally, Schmitt was under the impression he would get to work on the entire aircraft. The military, however, had other plans.
After his training was complete, he was stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington. He was there for two and half years as part of the 3-5 Air Cav working on helicopters. During his time there, almost every helicopter in the army was sent to them when they needed to be repaired. Fort Lewis was in a very wooded area which provided challenges for test flights. Schmitt’s job was to fly in helicopters and adjust the rotor blade so the helicopters would fly smoother. Pilots had to be careful because sometimes there would be a tall dead tree rising above the woods. During one test flight, the helicopter was tipped on its side to avoid the obstacle, exposing Schmitt to his first close call.
One of the first times Schmitt took part in a test flight for an AH 1 Cobra, they were approaching the airstrip going about 120 mph just mere feet off the ground. Schmitt thought to himself, “Oh gosh if somebody makes a mistake, I’d be the one kissing the asphalt.” He reflected sharing, “You learn to double check your work when you are working on aircraft” from experiences such as this.
Schmitt’s military service greatly shaped the person he is today. The military not only instilled in him the importance of a job well done, discipline, and respect—but also impacted him in smaller ways like his desire to be on time and keep things neat. Ultimately, his service taught him great respect for his country. To this day, Schmitt is a race fan. Every time they play the Star-Spangled Banner, he gets goosebumps. He takes a moment to look around and see if others remove their hats or how children respond to hearing the nation’s anthem play. During these moments, he sometimes thinks of life on the base where everyone, children included, had great respect for the country and those in military uniform.
On Oct 4, 1979, Schmitt was honorably discharged for the first time. His brother, also in the Army at the time, drove up to Seattle where Schmitt was discharged. Together they drove across the country back home to Grove City, Ohio. After making a couple of stops, including a visit to Mount Rushmore, the brothers made a quick trip back because Schmitt’s brother was eager to see his girl who was waiting on him in Grove City. Schmitt began renting a room from his aunt’s boarding house and started a construction job soon after his return.
When Schmitt left his construction job, he started working for a fertilizer company. During his time with this company, he met someone who encouraged him to join the National Guard. Schmitt decided to go to school at the then Columbus State Technical Institute and get his license to work more with aircraft. By Dec. 1984, he got a job with the Ohio Army National Guard at Don Scott Airport working on helicopters. He worked there as a technician until he retired from his job in May 2014. At this time, he had accrued around 3,500 hours of flight time in helicopters. Throughout his career, he worked on almost every type of Army helicopter, but the Huey remains his favorite. Schmitt finally retired from the Ohio Army National Guard in December of 2014 with almost 37 years of service.
After reflecting on his military service, Schmitt shared that in his opinion the military offers a lot of potential for the next generation. According to him and his experience, the military prepares you for the world as a young person, teaching work ethic, building character and confidence, and shaping you as a person.
Schmitt went on his Honor Flight on June 13, 2024, as part of Mission 133. Since his trip, he has talked to many people about the experience. He said, “that day will live with me for the rest of my life. The way Honor Flight treated the Veterans, showed them respect, showed them love… it was just a marvelous day.” Schmitt chose to apply because of seeing Honor Flight in the Millersport Corn Festival parade around seven years before his flight. He learned of the organization and how the mission was expanding to include any Veteran over the age of 65 years old who served at least one day of active duty outside of basic training was eligible. Seven years later, this included Schmitt.
As Schmitt shared his Honor Flight experience during the interview for this story he stopped and said, I am getting emotional again thinking about it.” His favorite part of the trip, something he has always wanted to do, was visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery and witnessing the ceremony of the Changing of the Guard. He was thrilled by the front row seat to the ceremony and greatly impacted by the reverence, respect, and meaning behind it. His visit to the Marine Corps War Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial also stick out to him as memorable moments. Today, he encourages Veterans to take their Honor Flight saying, “Doesn’t matter if you serve[d] a year, three years, or 37 years… you earned that right [to take an Honor Flight].”
Schmitt shared that he has instructed loved ones when he passes:
“When I kick the bucket, you make sure you send a nice healthy check to Honor Flight. I want more people to be able to see and understand and feel what these monuments and what Honor Flight does for Veterans.”
Honor Flight Columbus is humbled to be able to take Veterans like Schmitt, who served during the Global War on Terror, on their Honor Flight. What started as an operation to fly World War II Veterans has now seen Korean War, Vietnam, Post Vietnam, Cold War Veterans and more take their Honor Flight. The next 10,000 Veterans will consist of a different generation than the last. It is with great honor and excitement that Honor Flight Columbus invites every eligible Veteran to join the generations before them on a trip of a lifetime, completely paid for by grateful Americans.
