Father’s Day: Come help send off local veterans as Honor Flight returns to MHT

The public is invited to Manchester airport on June 19 to see off Honor Flight New England veterans.

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Honor Flight New England Executive Director Joe Byron, left, and organization President Steve Mangone at the war memorial at Veterans Park. Photo/Carol Robidoux

MANCHESTER, NH – Thirteen years ago some local heroes in their own right launched Honor Flight New England, a local chapter of the national initiative to make sure war veterans were able to travel to Washington, D.C., all expenses paid, to see the monuments constructed in their honor.

Their inaugural flight on June 13, 2009, included 50 veterans –  14 prisoners of war and five veterans of World War II, among them one who lost his sight while serving his country. Since then, Honor Flight New England has made 60 trips, chaperoning 2,168 veterans to our nation’s capital.

Joe Byron, founder and Executive Director of the New England chapter, hasn’t missed a flight. A retired Manchester police officer, Byron is still very much a man on a mission, spending his days seeking out veterans from around the region and getting the word out wherever he can that they are invited to participate.

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Vietnam Veteran Albert Mangone, left, with his son, Steve Mangone, and Honor Flight Executive Director Joe Byron, during an April Honor Flight. Courtesy Photo

“We have two World War II veterans going on our Father’s Day flight. That’s it. The rest are from the Korean War or Vietnam,” he says. He mentions that many of the national chapters have disbanded. With the dwindling number of WWII veterans, some may feel their original mission has been accomplished.

Not Byron.

“Especially for the Vietnam veterans, we want to give them that welcome they didn’t get 50 years ago. It’s a healing experience,” Byron says.

Steve Mangone, who serves as President for Honor Flight New England and is Assistant Police Chief for the city of Manchester, knows first-hand what it means for those who served in Vietnam. In April he accompanied his dad, a Vietnam vet.

“It was like I’d gone full circle,” Mangone says. He got involved after reading about the inaugural flight in 2009 and is now Byron’s right-hand man. Having the opportunity over the years to go from volunteer, bus captain, media guy and roadie, to serving as a “guardian” for his own dad meant everything.

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Albert Mangone and his son Steve, in Washington, D.C., during April’s Honor Flight excursion. Courtesy Photo

“When I presented it to him – much to my shock and amazement – he agreed to go. It was very emotional for me and my dad, but also for our family, who were watching my Facebook posts in real-time from home. He took it all in quietly, but I know it meant a lot to him.”

This Sunday –June 19 –Byron and Mangone are excited for the return of Honor Flight New England to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport after having to shift flights to Logan Airport due to COVID, which reduced the availability of direct flights.

They are urging the community to make some time on Father’s Day to come out to the airport to help see off the veterans. In the past, the public has always shown up to create an incredible experience for the veterans, who enter the airport to resounding applause and flag-waving, many of the onlookers offering their personal thanks.

On June 19 there are two opportunities to support their efforts – for early birds, the bus transporting veterans to the airport is scheduled to arrive at 8:10 a.m. Arriving between 7:30 and 7:45 a.m. would be ideal, says Mangone. And for night owls, the return flight is scheduled to land at 11:50 p.m. After a long day of travel, having some supporters on hand to punctuate the experience is a perfect ending. (Those intending to go can join the Facebook event group here).

All Honor Flight chapters, including New England, are financially independent which means they must raise funds to cover the cost of the trip, from transportation and food.  One flight costs thousands of dollars. With gas prices hiking up ticket prices, Byron is always looking for contributions to the cause – corporate sponsors who help cover meals to individuals willing to sponsor a single veteran. And those who wish to volunteer as “guardians” are always welcome. Although they pay their own way, what they gain from the experience is worth its weight in gold.

“It all makes a difference, and it’s what keeps us going,” says Byron, who runs the operation from a small storefront on Hooksett Road, where they have created a small storage section for wheelchairs, walkers, snacks, coolers and other items they’ve learned over the years to stock up on.

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Joe Byron, left, and Steve Mangone at Veterans Park, doing their part through their commitment to Honor Flight New England to fulfill the promise made to our veterans, to “never forget.” Photo/Carol Robidoux

Flights book up quickly, with priority given to the most senior or terminally-ill veterans, but for as long as there are veterans who wish to make the trip, Byron and Mangone will be there.

“I just spoke to a veterans group in Weymouth and there were two guardians there who I didn’t recognize at first. She was a postal worker who took one of the people on her route, which was incredible. The other one had taken a World War II veteran on a flight in memory of her own dad, who passed away when she was 14,” Byron says.

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Mangone points out that timing is a factor – for older veterans, there are some logistics involved in taking an all-day trip to Washington, D.C., including their role as caretakers.

“My uncle waited seven years, until my aunt passed, before he went. It’s hard sometimes for them to take the day,” he says. It has been their nature, since returning from war, to manage the homefront and be dutiful – without complaint, putting others before themselves.

“We attended a Memorial Day celebration in my hometown of Peabody (Mass.) and there was a veteran there who we took to Washington in 2011. He is still alive at 97,” says Mangone. COVID took a toll on not only the program by limiting flights, but on many of the remaining World War II veterans. It’s the sense of urgency that keeps Byron and Mangone in the trenches.

“We’re learning now that we’ll have to change our trip itinerary,” says Mangone. “On the trip with my dad, when we got to the wall he wanted to walk the whole length of it. He wanted to read all the names. It’s a reverent experience for them, and we don’t want to rush it.”

If you or someone you know is interested in taking an Honor Flight, contact honorflightnewengland@gmail.com.


Honor Flight is a 501(c)(3) and all contributions are tax-deductible. You can donate any time using this link.


 

About this Author

Carol Robidoux

PublisherManchester Ink Link

Longtime NH journalist and publisher of ManchesterInkLink.com. Loves R&B, German beer, and the Queen City!