Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCLXXXV

Sometimes people go to their graves without receiving the honor they deserve. There are also times when the honor is bestowed, but it comes after the death of the honoree. And then there are times when the deserving party gets to experience the recognition he or she deserves, but it's many years after the event for which they are being honored. Today I want to talk about the latter, and it involves someone who is very special to me. His name is Elliott Fontenot, my father in law. He, along with the other men and women that I want to tell you about are World War II veterans, and there is no way to actually give them the credit they deserve, and although the gift they received was long overdue and could not come close to repaying them for everything they endured during those battles so many years ago, it was a once in a lifetime event...a day they'll never forget.

The big day was the Saturday before Memorial Day, 2011. The honorees, all Louisiana World War II veterans, were told to meet early that morning at the airport in Lafayette, where they boarded a big commercial airliner that had been chartered for this special trip to our nation's capitol. The huge jet was filled to capacity with a diverse group of men and women, and practically all of them were in their eighties and nineties. Some of them had to use walkers, many were in wheel chairs, and others, including my father in law, were in excellent health. After they had touched down at the airport in Washington and were making their way down the hallway, there were hundreds of people of all ages lining both sides of the corridor, applauding, waving flags, shaking hands, and thanking them for their service to the American People.

I'm really not sure where they went first, but one of the stops was the World War II Memorial. As they toured this beautifully touching edifice that was built to commemorate the bravery and sacrifice of all those who risked their lives protecting our homeland during that horrific time in our history, many of them posed for a picture in front of the Louisiana monument. Another stop took them to Arlington National Cemetery, where they were able to witness the Changing of the Guard. This is an event I've been privileged to see two different times, and all I can say is, if you've never seen it, I hope you get the chance. After the Changing of the Guard, two of the veterans, both confined to wheel chairs, were selected to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Trips like that are not cheap. Each of these veterans who were selected for this day of honor had someone to sponsor them, but these were more than sponsors. As I've mentioned, many of these heroes have reached a stage of life where they are not as mobile as they once were, so not only did the sponsors fork over the cash for the trip, but each one accompanied the veteran he/she had sponsored, staying by his/her side the entire trip. There's no way I could mention all the names involved, but I would like to give a big shout out to Mr. Skip Arnould of the Entergy Corporation for sponsoring and accompanying my father in law for this once in a lifetime event.

Much too soon it was time to head back to Louisiana, and when they deplaned in Lafayette, there was a band playing and hundreds more were applauding and cheering as soldiers escorted each veteran down the escalator toward the baggage claim area. I've watched the video, and I admit, it brought tears to my eyes. And one thing that is so unbelievable to me is everything I've told you about happened the same day. They had traveled so far, seen so much, and done so many things that it makes me want to borrow a statement from the Bible that's not quite a direct quote, but almost: And the morning and the evening were one day.

Preston