Thanks for Their Service and Sacrifice

“The Army has been good to me. This is a way to give some small payback,” said Marco Island resident Sumner Atkins. A retired colonel who served 28 years in the active duty and reserves, Atkins “put his money where his mouth is” last week, when he donated $50,000 to sponsor an Honor Flight to send elderly military veterans to the nation’s capital. 

A total of 87 veterans went on the day-long excursion, each escorted by a “guardian,” touring the memorials erected in Washington D.C. to honor the veterans – sights that most of those going on the flight had never seen. Atkins, who is a veteran of Honor Flights as well as of the US Army, had previously gone on what the organization calls a “mission,” an Honor Flight to Washington – he went on Collier-Lee’s Mission #20 – and wanted to share his experience with other veterans. 

The Honor Flight on Saturday, September 28, was Mission #27 for Collier-Lee Honor Flight. The veterans being honored fly for free; each guardian pays a $500 fee. With the trip to DC taking place all in one day, there was no luggage for overnight stays going aboard the chartered American Airlines jet loading up at RSW, but there was still a lot to pack. The aging veterans required 85 wheelchairs, helping them get around along with the guardians to push them, said Honor Flight guardian coordinator Bob Reffitt., himself a veteran whose service spanned from Vietnam in 1973 to Operation Desert Storm as a chief master sergeant in the US Air Force. He was one of the 15 staff members who joined the honorees and their guardians for their visit. 

“This certainly meant something to me,” said Atkins, who rose to the rank of full or “bird” colonel. “It was one of the most memorable days of my life.” At age 89, he has seen a great deal in his life, including military service in Korea, years in the infantry and the army’s Transportation Corps, and 31 years as a schoolteacher in West Hartford, Connecticut. Making the day even more memorable, his daughter Deborah flew down from Connecticut to serve as his guardian for the mission, and his son Douglas also joined in, acting as guardian for a retired Navy Seabee. 

The mission was a very long day for all the participants. Those who caught the chartered bus at the Naples airport to shuttle them to RSW had a 4:00 AM check-in, while those who drove individually to the jetport at RSW had to check in between 4:30 and 5:15 AM. 

After arriving at the National Airport in DC, the group drove to the capital’s World War II memorial, followed by the US Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, featuring the famous sculpture of the flag-raising on Iwo Jima. The day’s printed schedule notes “lunch at Iwo Jima,” after which they toured Arlington National Cemetery, witnessing the Changing of the Guard and laying a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The honor of laying the wreath was given to the two World War II vets, the “Greatest Generation” representatives in the group. Now, with the dwindling “band of brothers” in their last days, the generation of their children and grandchildren is called on to help honor those veterans and show them that what they did – literally saving the world – has not been forgotten. This is the mission of Honor Flight. 

For Rolf Kristiansen, another veteran honoree with Marco Island connections, family participation helped make the day extra special. His daughter Sonja Gutwerk teaches English at Marco Island Academy, and his other daughter, also an English teacher, drove down from New Jersey with her three teenage children for the day to tour around with him. Born in Norway, Kristiansen emigrated to the U.S., spent four years in the US Air Force, and then spent 25 years with the New Jersey Dept. of Corrections.

Kristiansen’s guardian for the day was Colleen Long, director of sales and marketing for Tuscany Villa of Naples, where he lives, and she lives on Marco at the same condominium complex as Col. Atkins. 

“It was amazing,” said Long. “I was in awe the entire day at how well-run the day went and the vets for their stamina. The Honor Flight team did an outstanding job.” 

The whirlwind schedule continued with visits to the US Air Force Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which is the most-visited memorial on the National Mall, with over five million visitors each year, according to the Defense Dept. After the flight back to Southwest Florida and dinner on the plane, there was one more big thrill awaiting the returning vets. 

Deplaning at RSW after 9:00 PM, the group was met by a boisterous, noisy crowd numbering in the thousands. Previous Honor Flight honorees, family members waving signs and flags, scout groups, a brass band, the Lee Sheriff’s bagpipe band, and a red, white and blue balloon arch all greeted the tired but joyful returning servicemen and women. One sign held by a young boy read, “We came here for you because you went there for us!” 

“They were whooping, hollering, and kissing us. When I came home from ’Nam I got spit at. This is so much better,” said Kristiansen. “I knew this welcome was coming, but I had no idea it would be so big. It was way over my expectations.” 

Sumner Atkins, whose donation funded some but not all of the Honor Flight’s cost and was credited as the mission’s sponsor, said he was proud to have helped make it possible. 

“The whole Honor Flight experience is just remarkable. The welcome we got at the airport, that was terribly moving. And they’re all volunteers. That was one of the most memorable days of my life.” 

Collier-Lee Honor Flight, a registered 501(c)3 charitable organization, having just completed Mission #27, is already planning and fundraising for Mission #28. To learn more, serve as a guardian, or make a donation to the group, go online to collierhonorflight.org.