On February 25, 2020, a coalition of partners took the stage at the Pritzker Military Museum and Library to announce an exciting endeavor: The first all-female veteran honor flight from Illinois to our nation’s capital. This flight would put senior women veterans in the spotlight, making it known to all that they too are deserving of our thanks and respect for their service and sacrifice in times of war.
Twenty months (!!) later, Operation HerStory finally took off last week with Honor Flight Chicago with 93 female heroes aboard. The veterans comprised all of the eras we serve: WWII (2), the Korean War (7), and the Vietnam War (84). During a special itinerary, these women were feted at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial (WIMSA) before witnessing the Changing of the Guard at Arlington National Cemetery. They then visited the memorials built in tribute to their service on the National Mall, including special moments at the Vietnam Women’s Memorial.
Conceived by Vietnam War veteran and Air Force Master Sergeant Ginny Narsete, Operation HerStory brought together a diverse group of organizations and individuals with a common goal. The coalition recruited the veterans and raised the funds for this mission, and Honor Flight Chicago was proud to be the Operational Partner executing the flight itself.
Our volunteers – as always – brought their ‘A’ game to this special flight. The feedback has been glowing. “Mom, I haven’t seen you this excited or weak in the knees since you held your [grandchild] for the very first time,” said one daughter to her Vietnam veteran mother after the flight. We are so deeply proud that we brought outside groups into our Honor Flight Chicago family and they emerged from the experience truly understanding the level of preparation, investment and CARE that we put into every detail of a flight day for our heroes.
The end goal of Operation HerStory is to fly more women veterans. Before this flight, Honor Flight Chicago had served nearly 200 women veterans, but so many more are out there and deserving of this experience.
To that end, we received a message soon after the flight last week from the family of a 97-year-old female WWII veteran. For years her family unsuccessfully tried to convince her to fly with Honor Flight Chicago as a thank you for her service to our country. After seeing the news coverage of Operation HerStory, she changed her mind. She is scheduled to be aboard HFC99 in two weeks.
See you then!
Edna Ho and Doug Meffley
Directors, Honor Flight Chicago
“After 99 years, I finally feel like a veteran!”
— WWII Veteran Bette Horstman
“Operation HerStory/HFC 98 was beyond any expectations. I am still on cloud 9. The experience was humbling, exciting, and emotional. I am not sure if any future flights will be able to exceed this experience. But, it is the bar to reach.”
— Vietnam Veteran Charlotte Hodder
“I can’t thank you and all of the volunteers enough. The whole day was wonderful! So emotional. I began thinking all the way back to the things I did and people I knew. Everyone could not have treated us better. Mail Call was an important time of the day.”
— Korean War Veteran Priscilla Artz
“The day was absolutely awesome! Very cool. We had 93 Veterans who have never been around 93 female Veterans before. We were comfortable and it was a nice feeling that we all have gone through the same experiences. We were treated like Veterans, which isn’t always the case.”
— Vietnam War Veteran Mary Arvidson
“The day was joyous and moving. Remarkable. I need a thesaurus for positive things to say. So many emotions and experiences swirling in my brain. I couldn’t even read through the letters–just so emotional. I was blown away by the Mail Call. I had never heard of it or knew what to expect. I’m recommending to everyone that they should apply to go on this flight. I want to thank you and all of the volunteers for making this possible.”
— Vietnam War Veteran Jeanne Kowalski
“Was that ever nice, just a great great trip. And a little overwhelming. The Welcome Home was wonderful and a nice turnout. There were so many volunteers eager to help. I met with Brigadier General Wilma Vaught who grew up in the same small Illinois farming community!”
— Vietnam War Veteran Betty Lou Paps
“It was heaven. The day was really just wonderful! I can’t say enough about you and all of the volunteers who put in so much time to make this happen. The Mail Call was just wonderful. So many letters. I’m not through with them all yet. My Navy escort in Midway was very surprised at the scope and the energy of the greeting we had at Welcome Home. He kept saying “I can’t believe this!” I was so surprised to see my sister at Midway!”
— Vietnam War Veteran Carol Stegall
“Best experience of my life. I have posted pictures and comments all over my Facebook page. As a former member of the National Woman’s Veteran Organization, I will be encouraging other vets to sign up. I was very surprised and thrilled to see that chairs were available all day as I had two knee surgeries and was concerned about the walking. The Changing of the Guard was so poignant and emotional, that this should be something everyone should experience. Just a wonderful day and I cannot stop talking about it.”
— Vietnam Veteran Lane Knox
“The day was full of surprises and hard to say what was the best, but the WWII monument was probably my favorite. The volunteers and guardians did such an amazing job of taking care and keeping track of vets, it was very impressive. I lost my reading glasses somewhere and my guardian purchased new ones for me at the airport. The mail call was so very special. My niece is a teacher and many of her students wrote letters to the vets. The whole day was better than any wedding or event I have ever been to.”
— Vietnam Veteran Sandy Forsberg
“I am still on cloud 9 floating around the Milky Way!! I will never be able to say thank you enough. One of the highlights was having the Navy greet me upon returning, since I am Navy. The organization of Honor Flight Chicago just went over the top in every aspect.”
— Vietnam Veteran Joye Morris
“Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the volunteers and guardians. It was the ultimate trip and day and there are not enough words to express. The Korean monument was very moving as was the Changing of the Guard.”
— Korean Veteran Mary McClean
“Epic Day and we were so blessed. From the water cannons to the police escort to the Vietnam Vets at Dulles with flags saluting us, the day brought so many happy tears. I was given the name of the “little firecracker” by someone because I was so excited and probably a little too loud, but I could not contain my joy. We were overly impressed by a full bird Army Colonel at the Vietnam Wall, helping all of us get the rubbings.”
— Vietnam Veteran Debbie Emery
“I enjoyed meeting and talking with other vets who served before me. Without them blazing the trail for me, I would not have had my career. Favorite moment was the Woman’s Memorial and they made me feel like a charter member. My ambassador was tremendous, very patient and worked well with my sons coordinating everything. The organization of the day was just fantastic, and showed that HFC knows what they are doing.”
— Vietnam Veteran Gwen Diehl
“I am still going through the mail, as I am so amazed by the letters I received. The biggest surprise in the mail was that my guardian sent my daughter pictures throughout the day, and then my daughter printed them and I opened them with mail. The Tomb of the Unknown soldier was so moving and because of my physical limitations, I was so happy to have the wheelchairs as I would not have been able to walk and see this. The whole day was amazing and for the first time since returning from the war, I feel that I deserve this honor and honestly finally feel that non-military people are sincere when thanking me for my service.”
— Vietnam Veteran Connie Edwards
