“The below email was sent by one of the Police Department’s Public Safety Officers. It explains that he will be assisting Eric Thelie a 91 year old WWII veteran on Honor Flight #20. Please read his email and visit the website to gain further understanding of how this honors his sacrifice and the sacrifice of others during World War II.
I would like to challenge each of you to write a letter to be presented to Mr. Thelie on the return flight. It would also be a show of great appreciation and respect if students could also write letters. If you and/or your students complete letters I will personally deliver them to the PD, so that they can be presented to Mr. Thelie. Please have them to me by noon on Wednesday May 21st (2 days from now).”
Subject: Honor Flight Trip #20
Friends and Co-workers,
I’m sure many of you have heard of or are familiar with the great work of Honor Flight. This organization, started several years ago in Ohio, works diligently, to get as many World War II veterans as possible to Washington DC to see their World War II memorial. As you can imagine, time is of the essence in this task.
Honor Flight DFW website: http://honorflightdfw.org/
Later this month, I am traveling with Frisco resident and WW 2 Navy veteran, Eric Thelie who is 91 years young. I met Eric while driving the bus/van at the Frisco Senior Center some years ago.
Those of us who travel with these vets are called “Guardians” although the veterans apparently prefer the term “butler”. Regardless, one of our tasks is to gather letters, notes, and any other expressions of gratitude from folks that want to express their thanks or simply good wishes for what they did for us many years ago.
I don’t think it is overstated in any way to say these people literally saved the world by their work and sacrifice. Because I believe many of you agree with me, I am asking each of you to consider writing your thoughts, gratitude, etc. in an email or even by hand (yes some of us still do that) to Eric so that he will have these to read and to keep with him always. These letters, kept as a secret until the return trip from DC, will be presented to the veterans on the flight back to DFW. The veterans will read, or in some cases have read to them, their letters during this return trip. This will be one of the most memorable and significant parts of the Honor Flight experience. You can help make it so.
My thanks to each of you for considering this.