Honor Flight marches along, veterans open letters from home during 'Mail Call'
Group picture of the Maine Honor Flight Veterans who participated in the May 29 - 31, 2026 trip to Washington D.C. (Photo courtesy Kevin Curry)
Viet Nam Veteran David Landry along with his son Bruce. (Photo courtesy Kevin Curry)
Viet Nam Veteran Rose Marie Curtis of Belfast along with her daughter Abigail. (Photo courtesy Kevin Curry)
Rockland resident (Guardian) Brad Carter with his father, Arthur Carter. (Photo courtesy Kevin Curry)
Viet Nam Veteran Kenneth Lawton of Appleton with his son, Christopher. (Photo courtesy Kevin Curry)
Rockland residents Roger Carlson with his daughter Lori, (middle) James Gerrard with guardian Bruce Gerrard and (right) Donald Carlson with son Erik Carlson. (Photo courtesy Kevin Curry)
Group picture of the Maine Honor Flight Veterans who participated in the May 29 - 31, 2026 trip to Washington D.C. (Photo courtesy Kevin Curry)
Viet Nam Veteran David Landry along with his son Bruce. (Photo courtesy Kevin Curry)
Viet Nam Veteran Rose Marie Curtis of Belfast along with her daughter Abigail. (Photo courtesy Kevin Curry)
Rockland resident (Guardian) Brad Carter with his father, Arthur Carter. (Photo courtesy Kevin Curry)
Viet Nam Veteran Kenneth Lawton of Appleton with his son, Christopher. (Photo courtesy Kevin Curry)
Rockland residents Roger Carlson with his daughter Lori, (middle) James Gerrard with guardian Bruce Gerrard and (right) Donald Carlson with son Erik Carlson. (Photo courtesy Kevin Curry)During the weekend of May 29 thru the 31st, sixty-three Maine Veterans visited Washington, D.C. on their Honor Flight. Most of the Veterans were also accompanied by their guardians, who are generally a relative or close friend.
The Veterans arrived in Baltimore on Friday afternoon after departing from Bangor International Airport. The group then filled three tour busses, visited Fort McHenry, and participated in a flag changing ceremony at 4 p.m.
Friday evening, the group was then taken to nearby Fort Meade. Fort Meade is an active military base; soldiers greeted the Veterans at the Freedom Hall dining facility. Base commanders were also present to greet the Maine Veterans.
Following an early breakfast, Saturday morning, the Veterans and their Guardians boarded the busses and began a day-long tour of Washington, D.C. First stop was Arlington National Cemetery, where the eldest veterans in the group participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Stops during the day included the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, Virginia and the Air Force Memorial adjacent to the Pentagon. Later they arrived in the area of the Lincoln Memorial for tours of the Korean War Veterans Memorial and Viet Nam Wall, before moving up to the World War II Memorial. The group then boarded the busses and went to the US Navy Memorial in downtown D.C.
Saturday evening, the Veterans were treated to dinner at the American Legion Post 136, in Greenbelt, Maryland. After the dinner, the Veterans received “Mail Call” envelopes recruited from their friends and relatives; Mail Call are letters from home as they might have received when they returned from their deployment many years ago.
Sunday morning, the group boarded the busses for the last time to arrive at the airport, returning to Bangor for Welcome Home greetings from friends and relatives. Senator Collins also greeted everyone individually as they deplaned.
Maine Veterans are provided with their Honor Flight Trip free of charge through the generous donations of many civic groups, Veterans organizations, business and individuals.
Honor Flight Maine is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Veterans can apply online for future trips by visiting www.HonorFlightMaine.org.
