An approaching Veterans’ Day recently inspired the appreciation of local Juliette Girl Scouts.
Juliettes are registered members of the Girl Scouts who, because of their involvement in other activities, are not in traditional troops. They usually participate scout activities under their parents or other caregivers rather than scout leaders.
On October 8, Katina Horne of Grovetown gathered a group of Juliettes for a field trip to the Middle Georgia Airport in Macon, Ga. There, the kids greeted veterans arriving from Washington, D.C. The service members had all traveled for national Korean and Vietnam War Memorials, via the Honor Flight Program.
“I wanted to give back,” said Horne, a retired U.S. Army veteran herself. “I wanted the kids to speak with them and welcome them home.”
The Honor Flight is a non-profit initiative to transport U.S. military veterans to the national memorials of their respective wars. The Honor Flight Network, the umbrella organization under which many charities and chapters participate in the program, has brought over 245,000 veterans to D.C. since launching in 2005.
Horne learned about the program from a Girl Scouts website, but then learned there was no Honor Flight hub in Augusta. The Georgia hubs are in the Savannah, Atlanta and Macon areas. Still seeing an opportunity to honor veterans, she and her “troop” drove to Macon offer the service members a jovial reception.
“They were cheering,” said Horne about how the vets’ reaction. “It was so humbling to see their faces.”
Horne also notes that her kids are Army brats, so they have some understanding of military life, but meeting—and greeting—men and women her served in conflicts years before they were born is an important contact with history.
She hopes to raise awareness toward starting an Honor Flight hub in the CSRA, perhaps with local Girl Scout participation. Ideally, her Juliettes, other Girl Scouts, or anyone wishing to honor vets in the area, would only need to go “right down the road” to Bush Field, or even Fort Gordon.
For more information on the Honor Flight, visit www.honorflight.org.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
