Haunted by the Empty Chair

A reflection by the Director of Outreach with Honor Flight Columbus.

Photograph by Alexander Rogers

On the eve of every Honor Flight, the minds of our Veterans race with thoughts of service memories and anticipation for the day ahead of them, Volunteers think of the responsibilities they have and the stories they have yet to know, and staff wonder if there was anything left unpacked or logistics unexplored.  However, on the eve of Mission 141, I sit with something else on my mind, someone else. I always take time to stop and reflect the night before on the 80 or so Veterans who are about to experience an unexplainable healing at the Vietnam Wall, touch the faces etched into the Korean War Memorial, or stand before the fountains of WWII naming the battles where their fathers served. But this time, another thought runs through my mind.

Tonight, I am haunted by the empty chair.

I had the opportunity to meet one of the Veterans we booked for Mission 141. John, a proud Marine who served during the Vietnam War, was set to take his Honor Flight tomorrow. Tomorrow he was to stand before the thousands of names of men and women just like him— who stepped into service for this country. Instead, there will be an empty seat on the aircraft we will board leaving from the Columbus airport bound for Washington D.C. There will be one less Marine looking up at the 78 foot tall sculpture depicting Marines raising a flag on Mt. Suribachi. And there will be one less Vietnam Veteran for you to say “Welcome Home” to at the return celebration in Columbus.

A couple of weeks ago, John’s wife called our office to tell us he was likely to pass away before his flight. In fact, she informed us he wouldn’t make it through the week. There was something we could do. He deserved to be told “thank you” for his service, even if it would be as he took his last breaths. We drove to the hospital and provided a Hero’s Salute, a moment of honor for a Veteran unwilling or unable to take his or her Honor Flight. John had slipped into a coma and was not able to talk with us. But I have to believe that as we placed the Vietnam War challenge coin in the palm of his warm hand, something in him could hear us…could hear the adoration of his wife and the admiration of his brother and adopted son.

Photograph by Alexander Rogers

I am reminded tonight of the empty chairs that surround us on every Mission. I think of the untold stories of the men and women who never had the opportunity to take their Honor Flight. I think of the Veterans who think they don’t deserve this experience, the ones who think someone else should go in their place, and the ones who passed away before they could fly with us.

 My position as Director of Outreach was established because Honor Flight Columbus recognizes the burden of the un-flown— the Veterans who are waiting to fly or may not even know Honor Flight exists. Tonight, I feel the weight of this responsibility. I sit with the Veterans I know and love today, the ones I have met along the way, but especially the ones I will never know.

Photograph by Alexander Rogers

I am haunted by the empty chair.

Vietnam Veteran Jack lays tonight surrounded by his family as they hold his hand and wait for him to pass into peace. Jack is a close family friend of mine, the father of one of the greatest influences in my life. This hero raised a strong, wise, and kind woman who went on to raise two boys of her own, who now watches her own son raise his two boys. This hero may not have taken an Honor Flight, but we will provide a Hero’s Salute of a different kind. His wife will receive a special pin as the spouse of a Vietnam Veteran, the challenge coin Jack would have been given at the Vietnam Wall had he chosen to fly, and finally she will be reminded that her husband’s legacy will not only live on in the generations that exist because of him, but in the hearts of every person who experiences freedom because of his sacrifices.

So, tomorrow, Mission 141, I will let the empty chair haunt me. I will use this reflection to capture the stories of the men and women who will be flying with us tomorrow. I will continue to carry the burden of the un-flown, along with my coworkers, and use it to propel Honor Flight Columbus further into our communities. And with your help, we will reach our Veterans with the news of their Honor Flight.

John, Jack, I dedicate my participation in Mission 141 to you. Welcome Home.