Tebow travels to D.C. with Honor Flight

When asked how he heard about Honor Flight, Lloyd Tebow replied, “Well, we were over at Barb’s ( Tebow’s daughter, Barb Greenwalt), and she asked if I’d like to go. I said ‘well, I can’t do that.’ Tyler (Tebow’s grandson) was over messing around with some game on the TV and he found the form on the website and filled it out for me.”

When his application was received, he was 139th on the waiting list. After about 7 months, Tebow was notified that he would be a part of the Inland Northwest Honor Flight departing from Spokane International Airport the morning of September 23, 2011 and returning September 25. Tebow’s son-in-law, Alan Voise, accompanied him on the trip.

Sixty persons were on the Honor Flight, 36 of them veterans. Two of those were women. The remainder are guardians, who can be responsible for up to three veterans, depending on the amount of assistance required by the vet. Each flight also carries medical personnel to assist in emergencies. Honor Flight is available to all veterans, but priority is given to World War II vets, followed by Korean War, Vietnam, and those of subsequent engagements.

The flight left Spokane for Las Vegas, where there was to have been a one-hour layover. The hour turned into two due to a severe rainstorm, which dumped over 2 inches in the Washington, D.C. area. Fortunately for the group, even though the weather was humid and overcast, no rain fell while they were taking the tour.

The Honor Flight program provides (free of charge) transportation, accomodation and food for veterans who wish to travel to Washington, D.C. to visit the World War II Veterans’ Memorial, which was opened to the public in April 29, 2004.

Inland Northwest Honor Flight has flown over 300 veterans to see the memorial since May of 2009, and the Honor Flight Network has flown over 60,000 since its beginning in 2005.

Tebow was born and raised on a farm at Lamont, Oklahoma, only coming to the northwest after being “invited” to serve in the military in 1942, when he was 22.

He was in the 316th Maintenance Squadron posted to Fort George Wright in Spokane, and after he’d been there a while a “big, husky guy” was assigned to the lower bunk. One day, after the newcomer had finished basic training, he asked Tebow if he’d like to go to Harrington. After asking where it was, Tebow agreed to go, and the two set out, hitchhiking their way. Tebow says it was interesting how, every time they got a ride, the drivers would go out of their way to get them where they needed to go.

The other recruit was Harrington native Bob Hopp, who introduced Tebow to the general area that was to become his permanent home. They were each issued two week-long passes which allowed them to leave the base to help farmers with harvest. Hopp worked for Alex Kramer and Tebow for Ed Borgens.

Tebow then served overseas in the 9th Air Force, in England, France and Germany, where the 41st Mobile “repair & wreck” unit traveled all over, locating downed aircraft.

Tebow reported that most of the other vets on the flight had fought in the Pacific theater in the war. Voise added that Harold Schoessler of Ritzville was also on the trip.

The flight arrived at Baltimore, Maryland, which is approximately 40 miles from the nation’s capital, at about 10:30 Eastern time. By the time the group reached the Hilton hotel, it was nearly 1:30 a.m.

Saturday’s all-day tour began at Arlington National Cemetery, where the veterans saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, then went on to the Women’s Memorial. From there it proceeded to the WWII Memorial. After an hour at the memorial, individuals were allowed to decide whether to visit the Korean and Vietnam War Memorials or to stay on the bus for a tour of the city. Tebow, along with about half of the group, elected to take the bus tour.

The rest of the group rejoined them and as a group they visited the memorials for the separate branches of the services: Navy, Marine and Air Force. Then it was back to the hotel for dinner and a night’s rest before heading home.

Tebow says the trip was “Wonderful, wonderful. From the time I left this house until I got back to this house, I never spent a penny.”

Voise noted that the group received several ovations; each time they boarded a plane and at the Southwest terminal at the Baltimore airport on the way from security to the gate they were greeted by waves of people rising and applauding as they passed.

At the Saturday evening dinner at the hotel, the group was joined by the Navy choir, who performed the national anthem to kick things off, then were seated throughout the tables of veterans. The choir performed a medley of service branch themes, finished off by God Bless America.

Voise said that “it was amazing to seejust how much the opportunity to go meant to them (the veterans). You can’t really understand unless you were there.” He added that even though, as a guardian, he had to pay his own way, “It was well worth it.”

The Honor Flight program provides everything the veterans need for the trip: airline tickets, hotel stays, sack lunches and a group dinner. Regional programs such as Inland Northwest Honor Flight accept applications, notify veterans when their flight will be available and ensure that there are enough guardians to assist as needed. More information is available about the regional program at http://www.inwhonorflight.org and about the Honor Flight Network at http://www.honorflight.org.