On Saturday, October 19th, dozens of Seneca Valley students attended the 14th mission of Pittsburgh Honor Flight, an organization that celebrates veterans from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War by flying them out to visit memorials built to honor their service. Mr. Lucot, who teaches Honors U.S. History, AP U.S. History, and AP Government, invited students from his classes to participate in the homecoming celebration for the veterans at Northway Church in Wexford.
“These guys, they don’t want anything, and they know that they`re going to be remembered by history people like me. The one thing that they want is to be remembered by your generation.” stated Mr. Lucot, who has been volunteering with Honor Flight Pittsburgh since its start five years ago.
“We receive so may thank you cards and emails after the trip and many mention that there are so many young people that still care about them. They always mention that they have a renewed faith in the younger generation,” said Maria Pry, one of the organizers of Honor Flight Pittsburgh. “The veterans truly feel appreciated when they know that these young kids take time out of their weekends to greet veterans as they come home from this special trip.”
“When those men and women get off the bus, you can see the tear tracks on their faces. I had a friend that was on the third or fourth mission that videotaped it inside the bus, and one of the Vietnam vets said, ‘Wow, a real welcome home, 50 years later.’” Stated Mike Schoeffel, a veteran who served in the navy and helps with the firetrucks and flag lines for Honor Flight. “It`s pretty neat to get to give those guys a real welcome home.”
For the last five years, Seneca Valley students have had the privilege of celebrating veterans and recognizing the sacrifices they made through attending the Honor Flight ceremonies. This incredible tradition has helped many veterans feel honored and recognized and will hopefully continue on for many years to come.