Honor Flight an educational experience for next generation

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KFYR) - Many of the veterans on this year’s Western North Dakota Honor Flight opted to bring their son or daughter as an escort.

The next generation said the experience helped teach them more about their parents and the sacrifices they made for the country.

For many veterans from North Dakota, a springtime trip out of state is something to cherish. But for this group, where they’re going is about just as important as who is coming with them.

“For my dad to be anxious to get off the farm is just very rare,” Teale Wold, from Watford City, laughed about her father’s trip with the Honor Flight.

A couple of parent-child duos made the trip to Washington, D.C. looking for an experience that would bridge the generational gap and see their parents more clearly.

“Just completely overjoyed to get to share this experience with him,” said Tonya Hunskor about her dad.

Their fathers say they hope they’ll learn more about what mistakes not to repeat.

“It’s just important to appreciate all the work this generation put in that we might not be aware of,” Wold said.

The sons and daughters say they’ve never learned about history like this before.

“Everyone has a story, and this gives us a chance to listen to those stories and celebrate them,” Hunskore said.

While many of the veterans would have loved to take their spouses along, the Western ND Honor Flight has a rule against it, in part, because they want to focus on the medical needs of the veterans and because they want the next generation to learn from their experience.

All Stories From The Honor Flight:

Copyright 2023 KFYR. All rights reserved.