Northeast Indiana veterans visit nation’s capital in Honor Flight Wednesday

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Eighty-four veterans from northeast Indiana who fought in Korea, Vietnam and served during the Cold War got the trip of a lifetime Wednesday. They flew to Washington for an unforgettable day of sightseeing.

It was far from the average Northeast Indiana Honor Flight. Wednesday marked the 50th time they’ve been wheels up. Since its inception, the honor flights have carried nearly 3,900 veterans to visit the memorials constructed in their honor.

It was a hero’s welcome for the 84 Indiana Veterans visiting the World War II Memorial Wednesday in Washington; a far cry from what two-time Purple Heart recipient Greg Balsley felt when he returned from service.

“I didn’t let anybody know where I’d been,” he said. “I grew a beard and get a haircut for a long time, so nobody knew I was in the military.”

Dennis Glass had a similar experience.

“Got spit on, yelled at,” he said.

There are wounds of war, but the hostility on the home front is something these men have grappled with for years.

“I just didn’t want to talk about it,” Balsley said. “I still don’t.”

Wednesday, a new narrative is being written.

“Gives you goose bumps. I don’t know how to say it. I just never was one who likes to take the glory, but it was unbelievable,” Balsley said.

“This is a culmination of 55 years of bottled up emotion. It’s really cool,” Glass said.

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