One local veteran had the experience of a lifetime when he visited Washington, D.C., with Honor Flight Dayton during Memorial Day weekend on Saturday.
Glen Miller of Wapakoneta, who served in the Navy from 1965-69 during the Vietnam War, went along with 92 other veterans from local regions who served during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
During the trip, Miller came face-to-face with a very personal reminder of his time in the service: the Vietnam Wall.
During his time in the service, Miller said he was responsible for transmitting messages to and from Vietnam to places all over the United States, including the White House and the Pentagon.
Then on Saturday, seeing thousands of names on the Vietnam Wall in person for the very first time was “overwhelming,” he said.
“To relive all that in black marble was tough,” Miller said. “To face those demons and to put that wall out there in front of you and actually touch it, well, for me it was an experience of touching the lives of everybody on it.”
Miller said he hopes that other veterans will go on future Honor Flight trips. Miller decided to go since he heard through the Lima VA Office that Honor Flight Dayton now takes Vietnam War veterans on the trips, whereas only World War II and Korean War veterans were eligible before.
See Thursday's paper for the full story.