Community welcomes veterans home from Washington, D.C., trip

As a group of 90 veterans stepped off a flight the night of Oct. 14, they had spent the day touring Washington, D.C., viewing memorials built in their honor.

However, many veterans said they weren't prepared for what awaited them at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport upon their return, as they entered the Community Welcome Home Ceremony.

Hundreds of members of the public turned out with signs welcoming the former service members, musicians played live music, and students from New College of Florida danced and waved flags at the celebration sponsored by Veteran Air, an HVAC and home service provider.

The trip was the first flight organized by Southwest Florida Honor Flight Inc. to be hosted at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.

"I couldn't believe how many people showed up to greet us," said Jack Sydor, a former Army Corps of Engineers E-4 veteran who lives in Tara Golf & Country Club in Bradenton. "It's amazing."

Veterans came from Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice, Lakewood Ranch, Parrish, Ellenton and Palmetto, and from multiple generations of service, including one veteran from World War II and others from the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War and other eras. 

Mike Semones, a board member of Southwest Florida Honor Flight, called the event a "stunning success."

He said while in past years, the event had been held at the Punta Gorda Airport, after Sarasota's airport approached the organization about hosting it there, it could not say no. 

He said the new location positioned the organization to better serve the large veteran community in the area. 

"The Punta Gorda community really rallies around this event two times a year," said Matt Cheney, president of Veteran Air. "So to see this turnout here in Sarasota is just awesome. We've been telling all of our friends, and they showed up."

Although many attendees welcomed family members, others came for the event itself.

Among them was Sarasota's Denny Schwartz, whose father Robert Schwartz and father-in-law Harry Wagner both served in World War II.

He said he and his wife attended about three such events in the past 10 or 15 years while living in Ohio, and that Wagner participated in an honor flight about 10 years ago in Ohio, when he was around 90 years old.

"They're pretty monumental, pretty serious stuff," Schwartz said. "It almost brings a tear to your eye when you see these guys come through."

Schwartz says his father and father-in-law talked very little about their service; they were simply glad to be home, he says. 

He said while the majority of attendees were seniors, he hoped the event would be a chance for younger people to learn about the sacrifices of veterans. 

"It's great to see younger people out here, because some of it's got to rub off on them..." he said. "I think they understand what's going on."

Veterans said the ceremony was a chance for those who did not receive a warm welcome home from the service to finally experience one.

Bill Watkins, a Bradenton Army veteran who was an E4 specialist and served as a guardian on the flight, expressed that sentiment. 

"A lot of these guys and ladies that were in Vietnam, they never got that proper welcome home, so that was very touching to me, as well as, I would say, everybody else who was on the flight," he said.

The celebration concluded the attention veterans received that day, but throughout the trip to Washington, D.C., each honoree was assigned a guardian who tended to their needs. 

"They treated us like kings," Sydor said. "They just took care of everything. They fed us, did everything."

“There is no greater privilege than to facilitate a day of honor and remembrance for our veterans," said Rick Piccolo, President, and CEO of the airport, in a statement. "This mission is a powerful symbol of our community's deep gratitude, and we are committed to ensuring these heroes and their guardians have a seamless, memorable experience as they travel to visit the memorials built in their honor."