Veterans speak with their flight crew before their D-Day honor flight at Bowman Field in Louisville, Kentucky on June 6, 2024.
Alexis Baker
LOUISVILLE, Ky.
Friends, family and veterans gathered to send 18 WWII veterans on an honor flight for the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Hosted by Honor Flight Bluegrass, the veterans had the opportunity to attend one of three flights for the day.
The veterans boarded a B-25 bomber plane named “Miss Mitchell” at Bowman Field, a historic terminal of the Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville.
They were assisted into the plane by their family and a flight crew.
Trevor Hudson, a pilot for the Commemorative Air Force Minnesota Wing who flew the plane, said the veterans spent 45 minutes in the plane with 25 minutes of airtime.
Hudson said the mission of the Commemorative Air Force is to honor, educate and inspire.
“Seeing these airplanes, being able to touch them, hearing them start, hearing them fly, it just typically overwhelms these guys with emotion,” Hudson said. “There hasn’t been an event like this or a tourist stop that I haven’t been on where gentlemen like that just start pouring out all these stories to their families.”
Veterans speak with their flight crew before their D-Day honor flight at Bowman Field in Louisville, Kentucky on June 6, 2024. Alexis Baker
WWII veterans take flight over Bowman Field
The veterans were flown around the surrounding areas of the airport and circled back over Bowman Field as attendees clapped and cheered.
The cheering continued as each veteran filtered off the plane one by one. Attendees thanked them for their service as they reunited with their family and friends.
One of the veterans on the first flight was 95-year-old Richard Gay.
Gay served in the Army from 1945-46 doing field artillery in Japan.
He said he flew on another honor flight in 2022, which took the veterans to Washington D.C.
Gay said he was excited and nervous for the D-Day flight, especially right before the plane took off.
“The flight went great, but up and down those stairs that’s what killed me,” Gay said.
The B-25 bomber plane, “Miss Mitchell” sits on the runway at Bowman Field in Louisville, Kentucky on June 6, 2024. Alexis Baker
Finally getting the chance to fly at 97
Melissa Richards-Person said her father is Jack Richards, a 97-year-old veteran who also participated in the first flight.
Richards was in the Army Air Corps doing ground operations and maintenance around the United States towards the end of WWII.
She said his biggest regret from his time in the service was not getting to fly.
“When this opportunity came up I thought ‘Well his birthday is coming up number one and number two this is always something he’s wanted to do,’” Richards-Person said.
She added how appreciative she is of the work of Honor Flight Bluegrass.
“Having them do these kinds of experiences is wonderful for these veterans,” Richards-Person said.
This story was originally published June 6, 2024 at 3:38 PM.
