Recently at the Albert Lea clinic I took a break for coffee and sat next to an elderly gentleman who happened to be waiting for his wife. We struck up a conversation about the weather, and from there I must say he gave me a gift I will not forget.

It turns out he was wearing a cap that had “Honor Flight” written on it. I remembered my uncle was fortunate enough to take that same trip a while ago, so when I asked him about the cap, he preceded to share his story about his flight to Washington and how wonderful that experience had been for him. He then started to tell me about some of his time he spent in the service, being one of the replacement soldiers in Japan in 1946.

I could have sat with this interesting man all day long and listened to him, but I was working and had to leave so I thanked him for sharing and left. I found out his name was Mr. Holecek from Glenville, so I would just like to say again, thank you, Mr. Holecek, for the sacrifice you made for our country and taking the time to touch my heart with your wonderful stories. And to all past and present service men and women and their families, thank you for your sacrifices and God bless you! After all you certainly have blessed us!

 

Theresa Harriman

Albert Lea