Dague takes Honor Flight

Franklin Delano "Dell" Dague visited the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington D.C. last month. Dague was named after the 32nd President of the United States, and enjoyed visiting the memorial as part of the Honor Flight he took June 12-14.

Honor Flight is a national nonprofit network formed in 2005 that aims to honor veterans by flying them to D.C., free of charge, and coordinating visits to several memorials.

Dague had originally looked into going on an Honor Flight to D.C. pre-COVID, but it wasn't until reading about fellow veteran Les Poland's Honor Flight last year that the family started planning again.

Dague's daughter, Robin Kuntz, accompanied him on the trip as one spouse or companion may accompany each veteran. Kuntz told the Eagle on Tuesday that her mother was unable to attend as she did not meet the age requirements set by the Honor Flight Network for a companion.

Since its founding, Honor Flight says it has sponsored flights to D.C. for more than 245,000 veterans, and currently serves about 22,000 vets a year, focusing on WWII, Vietnam, and Korean War-era vets. Honor Flight trips provide veterans with the opportunity to visit the memorials in D.C. alongside fellow veterans while telling their stories, sharing camaraderie, and receiving well-deserved recognition from a grateful nation. The Honor Flight Network's goal is to ensure that every veteran has the opportunity to be honored for their service by participating in the trip.

Kuntz said that Dague was one of four Korean War veterans on the trip. There were also three WWII veterans; the rest all served in Vietnam.

"One of the three WWII vets was a 99-year-old woman," she said.

Dague, who will turn 90 years old in August, was in the U.S. Navy and served 3 2/3 years in the Korean Theater. On the DDE Destroyer - USS O'Bannon, he stood top watch when underway, in the forward engine room and was in charge of the after engine room. He has three stars on his Korean Campaign Ribbon - each star representing 9 consecutive months in the war zone.

Kuntz said that besides the United States Navy Memorial, their favorite stops during the Honor Flight were the FDR Memorial and the Lone Sailor. The Lone Sailor is an iconic symbol of the Navy Memorial's mission to honor, recognize, and celebrate the men and women of the sea services, past, present, and future; and to inform the public about their service.

Kuntz also spoke highly of the many groups on various youth tours in D.C. She said that at each memorial, there was a separate group of kids that would stop their tour and shake each veteran's hand, thanking them for their service. At times, she said it was quite emotional.

The Honor Flight Network is comprised of 129 Honor Flight Hubs around the country. Not every area is serviced by a regional Hub. The Lone Eagle Honor Flight ensures that all veterans, regardless of their geographic location in the U.S., are able to participate in an Honor Flight trip.

Most local vets who want to apply for Honor Flight will want to contact the Lone Eagle Honor Flight hub at (939) 521-2400 or info@honorflight.org. The hub's website is https://loneeagle.honorflight.org. Donations to Honor Flight can be made on the website; the nonprofit says it costs about $1,000 per vet to make the trip.