Local Vietnam Vet Makes Emotional Trip to DC on Honor Flight
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Charlie Brown of Rabbs Prairie was among several dozen Central Texas veterans who participated in Honor Flight #98 out of Austin on May 30-31. They visited the monuments and Arlington National Ceremony. -
Members of the Honor Flight pose for a group photo at Arlington National Cemetery. -
Brown throws up a “Hook ‘em Horns” gesture in front of the Texas monument at the World War II Memorial. -
Brown is pictured here as he dropped to his knees, overcome with emotion, as he read the names of the men he served with on the Vietnam Wall.
Local veteran Charlie Brown of Rabbs Prairie got a call from Uncle Sam in 1965. A few months later he arrived in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, where he spent the next year as a military policeman.
“It was probably the most secure place in Vietnam,” he said. “I went on convoy escorts and was on inspection teams. I got to see a lot of the country, which was wonderful, because it’s a beautiful country.”
After his tour of duty, he came back to the States with an honorable discharge and in much better shape than the 58,000-plus men whose names are carved into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. Now, sixty years later, the emotional wounds from that war still pain him.
Brown has his own opinions about the war, which he declined to share publicly. But he’s proud of his service and the men he served alongside. So when an opportunity arose to see the Vietnam Wall in person, he jumped on it.
Earlier this year Brown met with Fayette County Veterans Service Officer Jesse Lednicky to discuss VA benefits. During their conversation, Lednicky told him about Honor Flight Austin, an organization that provides certain qualified veterans with a free flight and tour of the monuments in Washington, D.C. Brown signed up and took the trip on May 30-31.
“Vietnam vets weren’t treated very well when they got home,” Brown said. “So the theme was ‘Welcome Home.’And boy, did they welcome us.”
Brown said a throng of well-wishers held signs and cheered on the men as they boarded the plane in Austin and disembarked in Washington, D.C.
“Young people, old people, everyone – there must have been 600 people at the Austin airport,” he said. “It tore your heart out.”
Brown was originally scheduled to take his honor flight in the fall. But he was recently diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He can still walk and get around fairly well, although he’s planning a remodel to his home – wider doors for a wheel chair, ramps, and a handicap-accessible bathroom.
Honor Flight organizers moved up his date when they learned about this.
“They offered me a wheelchair and someone to push me around,” Brown said. “I told them I’d be alright, but they said, ‘We’ll bring one along for you just in case.’” Brown said organizers assigned everyone a ‘guardian’ – a trained volunteer who looked out for each of the men while they were in the Nation’s Capitol. Three paramedics also accompanied the group, in case anyone suffered a medical emergency. The youngest veterans on the trip had served in Vietnam, and that war ended a half century ago. A few of the men were Korean War veterans, and one, 100-year-old David Ensign, was a World War II veteran.
They arrived in Washington on May 30. Organizers hosted a dinner for them at the hotel that evening. The next morning, they got up bright and early for a long day of touring D.C.
The group visited the World War II Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial. For Brown, the Vietnam Wall was the most moving experience.
“I dropped down on my knees and cried, just seeing all those names,” he said.
From there, they attended a changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The tomb guards escorted a few men from the group as they placed a wreath on the tomb.
“You could hear a fly go by from 20 yards away - it was so quiet, so solemn,” he said They then visited the memorials for each branch of the armed services, including the famous Iwo Jima statue at the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial.
The group flew back to Austin that afternoon.
“It truly is a trip of a lifetime,” Brown said. “That’s why I want to spread the word to the other vets, to let them know about it.”
Honor Flight Austin formed initially to provide free trips to Washington, D.C., to veterans of World War II. They later expanded to offer trips to Korean War, Vietnam War and Cold War veterans. Top priority is currently given to World War II veterans and Korean War veterans, along with all veterans with serious medical conditions.
Honor Flight Austin serves veterans from 14 counties in Central Texas including Fayette. To learn more about Honor Flight Austin, go to honorflightaustin.org or call 1-888-530-8880.