Local Girl Scouts Honor WWII Veterans from Chicago

A young generation of Girl Scouts, whose lives have been directly impacted by American soldiers fighting in far-flung wars, met some of those veterans, many who have waited 60 years to visit memorials in their honor in Washington, DC.

“We formed two long rows and got to welcome each of the veterans — some walking, some in wheelchairs, some smiling, some completely overwhelmed,” said Aimee Taylor.

Taylor, a Girl Scout mother, was referring to a greeting ceremony her daughter’s Girl Scout Troop held for WWII veterans who arrived at Dulles Airport on June 29 aboard the Honor Flight. Nearly 30 Girl Scouts from Service Unit 70-10 of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital (Ashburn/Broadlands), their parents and a few Boys Scouts welcomed about 100 WWII Veterans from Chicago.

The Honor Flight Network – a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide veterans, especially the oldest and terminally ill, the experience of a lifetime – arranged the trip to DC. Most of the country’s WWII veterans have never been to DC to see the WWII Memorial and, because of their aging population, many may never have the chance.

But on June 29, the veterans that arrived at Dulles were surprised and overwhelmed with the gratitude and fanfare that they received. One veteran was heard saying, “Wow, what a surprise!”

The veterans and their program coordinators arrived at the airport around 9 a.m. The Girl Scouts waited with anticipation as they watched the flight taxi on the tarmac and receive a water cannon salute by the local fire department. The girls and their families greeted the passengers with signs, flags, handshakes and hugs. 

“Standing by me was a businessman completely unconnected with the Honor Flight; he was simply waiting at the gate for his flight,” Taylor said. “When he heard what was going on, he joined in the welcoming committee saying, ‘this is so much nicer than just sitting in the lounge with a coffee.’”

From there, the veterans traveled to Washington to visit the WWII Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial and others, before heading back to Dulles for dinner. After dinner, they enjoyed musical entertainment by local dancers dressed in 1940s-era clothing. The Girl Scouts helped clean up trash and passed out dozens of homemade cookies for the veterans to take with them on the return flight home.

Once on the plane, the veterans were surprised once again — with a mail call. The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts wrote letters and handmade more than 100 cards thanking the veterans for their service during WWII.

Each Honor Flight costs more than $35,000, paid for through generous donations. Another flight is planned for July 20. This heart-warming video has more information about Honor Flight Chicago.