Honor Flight Long Island
Honors Two of Our Own
BY HOWARD ARKIN
Every summer, Honor Flight Long Island,
a non-profit organization dedicated to
preserving the legacy of those who have
served us so valiantly in World War II, the Korean
War and the Vietnam War, transports our
heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect
at their memorials. Honor Flight Long Island
was created solely to honor America’s veterans
for all their sacrifices.
This year, two North Shore Towers’ residents,
Paul Detkin and Mal Salit, were chosen to
accompany the organization on their annual
trip to Washington DC. Both Paul and Mal
have much in common. They both served with
distinction in the Battle of Okinawa, which was
considered by many to be the bloodiest battle
of World War II. They were about twenty years
old at that time. The two also moved into North
Shore Towers around the same time, approximately
twenty-four years ago, Paul with his
wife Sylvia and Mal with his wife Anna Maria.
Their trip to D.C. began on Saturday, May
11, at MacArthur Airport in East Islip, Long
Island, with doughnuts and coffee served by
local volunteers. After boarding their flight, it
took about two hours for the group to arrive
at the Baltimore-Washington Airport. Bikers
from motorcycle groups then escorted these
veterans to the nation’s capital.
Their first stop was at the World War II
Memorial. This memorial recognizes veterans’
service to America during the war. It was there
where they honored each major battle fought
and each soldier that made the ultimate sacrifice
during the war.
The veterans were also taken to Arlington
National Cemetery, where they viewed the
ceremonial changing of the guard at the Tomb
of the Unknown Soldier. It must have been a
chilling experience for them.
Another highlight of their trip was “mail
call.” As it was during the war, when letters
were all they had to link them back to their
loved ones, veterans’ names were called as
they were handed cards, letters and thank-you
notes written by Long Island school children
and family members. It was a heartwarming
way for these veterans to relive the experience
of receiving mail from home. This must have
brought back some happy memories. Who
didn’t appreciate a letter from home? I read
some of them and they were all well-written
and extremely touching.
After all of the sightseeing, veterans were
treated to a special dinner inside the Baltimore-
Washington Airport. They were given the
opportunity to order whatever they wanted.
The flight got these tired but happy men safely
back to East Islip not much before 12pm where
another surprise awaited them. They were
greeted by several hundred people cheering,
waving American flags and holding up signs
thanking them for all they had accomplished.
We all owe Paul Detkin and Mal Salit, as
well as all of our other veterans, a great deal
of gratitude. Sometimes it seems as though
the veterans are the only unifying force in our
nation today. We now know why they were
called the Greatest Generation.
About Honor
Flight Long
Island
Honor Flight
Long Island
was established 15 years ago under
President George W. Bush. The following
excerpt from the organization’s
website explains its genesis and its
mission. Visit honorflightlongisland.
org for more information:
On May 29, 2004, President Bush
dedicated the World War II Memorial
to honor "The Greatest Generation,"
59 years after the end of WWII. One
year later, the Honor Flight Program
was inaugurated.
Earl Morse and Jeff Miller, co-founders
of Honor Flight, realized that
many World War II veterans would
never have the opportunity to visit
the memorial that was erected in their
honor. Many, due to age or financial
resources or knowledge or strength,
would not be able to complete a conventional
trip to Washington D.C.
But, thanks to their foresight, Honor
Flight has now flown over 180,000
veterans to see their memorials. While
Honor Flight began as a program solely
for World War II veterans, many
"hubs" are now taking Korean War,
Vietnam War and other conflict veterans
to Washington D.C. This trip
allows us to honor America's veterans
for their service and sacrifice. It is the
intention of Honor Flight Long Island
to honor as many of our fellow Long
Islanders, who helped to preserve our
freedom, as we can by providing them
a free trip to visit their memorial.
Honor Flight Long Island provides
this one-day trip to all WWII, Korean
and Vietnam War veterans. Sometime
in the future, HFLI will include other
conflict veterans, but that time has not
yet come. However, we do make an
exception for any veteran terminally
ill. This veteran, no matter when
he/she served, is given our highest
priority.
Paul Detkin
Mal Salit
November 2019 ¢ NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER 33