The Never Forgotten Honor Flight organization takes veterans to Washington, DC, and on mission number 41, one of them had an extra-special experience.
“I needed closure to some degree,” Vietnam Navy veteran Lorn Gordon told WSAW this week, and he hoped the trip would provide it.
At the Vietnam Memorial, he said he came across a very special name on the wall, a neighbor whose name was James M. Ringle.
“Six to nine months later, he got killed in action in Vietnam which had kind of a big impact on me because I had a really good relationship with him,” Gordon explained.
However, among the crowd that day were his sons who came to support him. Both men were also veterans, one who traveled from Pennsylvania and the other Wisconsin.
Photos showed the sweet reunion and the men embracing each other beside the wall of names:
When you are on Honor Flight #41 and you have no idea that the boys have come to share the day with you..Never Forgotten Honor Flight, Inc.
Posted by Dave Junion on Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Social media users wrote how much they enjoyed seeing them together, one person writing, “I would love to sit and listen and learn.”
“Goosebumps. So very special,” another commented.
According to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial website, “The faces of visitors are reflected in the walls bearing the etched names of the 58,318 men and women who died in combat or are listed as missing in action (MIA).”
“Many who visit leave behind items in memoriam to those that have served. The military dog tags, flowers, war medals, photographs, and even favorite toys left behind aid the healing process,” the site read.
Looking at his friend’s name on the wall “makes it worthwhile for me and also for him, in his legacy,” according to Gordon.
The Never Forgotten Honor Flight serves veterans in multiple Wisconsin counties: Barron, Clark, Iron, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida, Portage, Price, Rusk, Taylor, Vilas, and Wood.
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