There is an irony when it comes to war memorials. While the memorials gleam in the streets of Washington, D.C., for the men and women who served their country, many whose names are engraved never had the chance to see these tributes before their lives slipped away. Even for those who survived to tell their stories, often money and health stands as a barrier while time pushes them to their last days.

Yet for the latter, organizations such as Inland Northwest Honor Flight and Wenatchee High School Future Farmers of America are making those trips a reality. After raising around $4,000 during one week in November, FFA sponsored two Wenatchee World War ll veterans to fly to Washington, D.C., on May 26 through Inland Northwest Honor Flight.

“[National Honor Flight started] after they opened up the WWII memorial there was a fellow, a doctor, from the Midwest at the VA Clinic and he had a vet who he asked, ‘Have you had the chance to see the WWII memorial?’ And the person says ‘I can’t afford to,’” Inland Northwest Honor Flight Guardian Jack Pusel said. “And so this doctor had a plane and they would fly these veterans over and spend the night and he would get some of his friends to do it and they up and started this honor flight.”

Today, the Honor Flight Network has regional hubs spread across the country, with Inland Northwest flying veterans from Spokane three times per year free of charge thanks to donations.

After meeting, Pusel at the Chelan County Fair last fall and learning about the program, FFA Adviser Dan Ellwood brought the idea to the club of raising money to sponsor flights as their yearly project.

“I’ve always been intrigued by that [WWII] generation,” Ellwood said. “It’s kind of cool to give back in a tiny way to those who have done so much.”

The students shared his perspective, and the project took off. Hosting a “Veterans Week” in November, FFA passed out flags, had veterans speak on the announcements, and presented about the program in the Veterans Day assembly all in order to raise awareness while they raised funds on an individual basis. By the end of the week, they had $4,000.

“We didn’t expect [raising that much] at all. It kind of just built up day after day. I would come in during break, after lunch to count the money and it kept on adding and adding,” FFA President senior Julia Spangler said.

They ended up only about $100 shy of $4,000, and Assistant Principal Donna Moser donated that remaining amount to have them break even.

With the money, FFA was able to send Wenatchee residents and WWII vets Judd Warton and Frank Berdan on the flight this week. Though Pusel said it costs about $1,000 to fly one veteran, not enough veterans were able to make this trip to use the leftover $2,000, therefore this amount will go to Inland Northwest’s general fund.

According to Ellwood, Warton and Berdan have been longtime supporters of WHS’s FFA. Warton lives near the school and sold some of his farm land for the club to use along with constantly offering his agricultural mentorship to students. Berdan is a grandparent to students currently at the school and his family has gone through the FFA program.

“It might sound weird, but it didn’t take so much effort for me to raise this money but it means so much to them,” Spangler said. “I mean, it’s such a small act for me, but to them it is like the world to have this opportunity. So that makes me really happy to do something like that to someone who did so much for me.”

Around 100 veterans fly on the program’s private plane to Washington, D.C., where they only spend one night. Their day is packed with visiting the capital’s different war memorials and cemeteries, attending a ball and dinner, police escorts, and a full show of emotions.

“I think it was the first time some of them really felt that they did something good. Little kids would come up to them and say, ‘Can I shake your hand?’ The parents would say, ’Can I take pictures of my children with you?’” Pusel, a Vietnam veteran, said of his experience on a flight last May. “It was the most awesome experience of my life because I was with the vets who I believe are the true heroes of World War ll.”

Though Honor Flight began from a focus on WWII veterans, with an estimated 640 of these vets dying a day, it now flies veterans who apply from any war. Since Inland Northwest was established in 2009, it has flown around 1,000 veterans from Spokane.

Whether FFA will continue sponsoring veterans next year is ultimately up to the new officers who have yet to be elected, according to Ellwood. As she parts from her position and this experience, Spangler hopes it will become an evolving project for the club.

“I met four gentlemen at the VFW who had just gotten back from an honor flight, and they had honestly cried to me, they were just so thankful to have an opportunity like that,” Spangler said. “It has definitely been an experience. I have been able to hear so many stories, hugs, and thank-yous.”

Learn more about Inland Northwest Honor Flight.