Richard Gruber and Ellwood Beck joined 29 other veterans on June 13 and 14 for the Mission 23 Buffalo-Niagara Honor Flight marking an incredible milestone of 10 years of flying veterans to Washington, D.C., to see the monuments built in their honor.

The Honor Flight Network is a national nonprofit organization with over 128 independent hubs working together to achieve the Honor Flight mission. The common goal is sharing the privilege of showing the nation’s veterans the appreciation and honor they deserve. Participation in an Honor Flight trip gives veterans the opportunity to share this momentous occasion with other comrades, remember the fallen, and share their stories and experiences with other veterans. Honored veterans always travel free of charge, thanks to generous donations to the organization.

Buffalo-Niagara Honor Flight (BNHF), a hub of the National Honor Flight Network, recognizes United States Veterans for their sacrifices and achievements by flying them to Washington, DC to see their memorials at no cost to the Veteran. Priority is given to World War II veterans, Korean War and Vietnam veterans and those with medical issues requiring special attention. Veterans are taken on a first come, first serve basis.Guardians fly with each veteran on every flight providing assistance and helping them have a safe, memorable and rewarding experience.

Ginny Beck reached out to meet and speak about the experience that she was privileged to share with her father, Elwood Beck. She remarked, “While seeing the monuments and everything was great, it was also so wonderful to see all these veterans, many of whom did not know each other, come together.”

Youngsville veterans Richard Gruber and Ellwood Beck are seen here from their trip with the Buffalo-Niagara Honor Flight they recently got to experience.

They made new connections, and her father connected with Richard Gruber, also a Youngsville resident.

Seeing the veterans talk, laugh, tell stories, and talk about the many similar experiences and places that they have seen and gone through was a special memory. “It’s often very difficult for veterans to talk to people and family about what they saw and went through because we weren’t there with them and it was not always the best to share,” said Ginny Beck.

Elwood Beck grew up in Emporium and has lived in Youngsville for the past 20 years. He served two years in the Army and 18 years in the Air Force. Beck served in both the Korean War as well as the Vietnam War. In between the two wars, he served at the Texas Towers – a set of three radar facilities off the eastern seaboard for surveillance by the U.S. Air Force during the Cold War. His daughter had heard about the Honor Flight earlier this year and applied online and just a few months later, they were on their way on the 23rd mission with the group. At 91 years old, Beck got to experience the nation’s capital and spoke of things that stood out to him. While seeing the changing of the guards at the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” dignitaries were present and a four star general shook his hand. “It sort of shook me up a little bit to see that. This particular event stuck with me.”

Richard Gruber was born in Warren and moved to Youngsville after getting out of the service. Enlisted in the Army during Vietnam, his battalion was supposed to go to Vietnam but instead was ordered to attend an eight-week training program followed by the Air Force Academy, where he taught incoming soldiers.

The Honor Flight was something he heard mentioned at different veterans functions over the past few years. Since his eyesight is fading, Gruber decided it was time for him to look into it so he filled out an application over a year ago. Gruber said he didn’t know what he was getting into, but he’s always been a “go with the flow” type of guy. He advised, “Be prepared to enjoy the experience.”

Two days of visiting the national memorials that pay tribute to their service and sacrifice, the experience was “Once in a lifetime.” The first day also included visiting the World War II, the Korean, the Vietnam and the Lincoln monuments. The next day, the Pentagon and the 9/11 site was very moving as well as the Arlington Cemetery, the Air Force, FDR, Iwo Jima and the Martin Luther King Jr. memorials.

The June trip included veterans from Jamestown, Youngsville and Bradford along with several more from Western New York. The trip was well organized with medical personnel on board, a tour guide, and guardians provided to those that needed them, if they were unable to have a loved one with them.

Although both small town Youngsville residents did not know each other, Beck and Gruber soon became friends thanks to the experience. They met in Jamestown at the Fenton Historical Museum where organizers prepared them along with others from the Dunkirk area before they traveled to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Over the past decade, the Buffalo Niagara Honor Flight has sent more than 1,000 local and regional veterans to D.C.

Ginny Beck shared that the experience was one she will never forget and made it a true “once in a lifetime” for this veteran’s daughter.

“Seeing them with my dad made it an even greater memory for me. From the escorts by the various motorcycle groups to the music, bagpipes, singing, people standing and applauding as we went through the airport, it all was an emotional time for me. Many of the veterans finally received the recognition they deserved and the smiles proved it.”

Truly grateful and honored to have been able to go, she also said, “I was very honored and happy to be a part of this experience with my dad and to help fill a bucket-list item for him. This was only possible due to the service Buffalo-Niagara Honor Flight provided.”

Misty Weber, an advisory board member who is also an administrator for the Warren County School District, has worked closely with the Buffalo Niagara Honor Flight to help provide local veterans from Warren and the surrounding counties with the opportunity to participate in this meaningful experience. She hopes to further strengthen the connection between local schools and Honor Flight programs so that students can better recognize and learn from the service and sacrifice of veterans in their own communities. She has been working closely with local vets to give them a sendoff through the district and considers it a privilege to support this mission to ensure veterans receive the appreciation and recognition they deserve.

Flights are scheduled twice a year with one in the fall and one in the spring. Currently about 300 veterans are waiting in line to attend the BNHF chapter.

There is an urgent mission for the Buffalo-Niagara Honor Flight to serve Vietnam veterans, with over 200 Vietnam Veterans on the waiting list and with new applications coming in daily. These unrecognized heroes deserve to be honored for their service and sacrifices.

Applications are always accepted. The Buffalo-Niagara Honor Flight serves seven counties of Western New York, including Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming. In Pennsylvania, the counties of Potter, McKean, Erie, and Warren are served along with southern Ontario, Canada.

For more information, visit https://buffaloniagarahonorflight.org or email info@buffaloniagarahonorflight.org

The Buffalo-Niagara Honor Flight also has a Facebook page where a video welcoming the veterans home from their experience can be viewed. Contact Misty Weber for more information on how to sign up, or how to make a donation, at webermd@wcsdpa.org or 814 723-0574 ext. 1315.