27 Wesson area veterans take DC Honor flight

Special to Wesson News

Twenty-seven Mississippi veterans, including two from the Wesson area, along with their guardians travelled to Washington, D.C., last month on a Honor Flight sponsored by WoodmenLife, as part of its Mississippi Jurisdictional Convention Project, in partnership with Lone Eagle Network.

In Washington, they visited memorials and monuments dedicated to honoring their service and sacrifice in line with the mission of Honor Flight Network.

The Wesson veterans on the trip were John Leo Wesley, Jr., and William Jay Maples. John Richard Goza, Julianna Rose Wilson, Travis Dewayne Cloy and Tori Smith Earls, a WoodmenLife staff person, from Wesson were also on the trip as guardians.  Brookhaven veteran Clois Randel Wilson was on the trip from the area as well.

The veterans represented all service eras, with priority for those who served during World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War and in time periods between these conflicts.  Most of them were Vietnam veterans, with one World War II veteran and one Korean War veterans.  There were multiple purple heart recipients in the group

A veteran is only eligible to participate in an Honor Flight once in their lifetime, so the Honor Flight Network ensures that is an experience to remember. 

The travel group flew out of Jackson, Gulfport and Memphis Airports on June 15 to Baltimore, where Lone Eagle Honor Flight Program Director Allison Qunilan greeted them.  After touring the Iwo Jima Memorial, Air Force Memorial, Navy Memorial, the World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War Memorials on June 16, the group returned on June 17 to the three airports from which they departed.  Volunteers, family, friends and veterans group and other community members sent them off and welcomed them back home as heroes waving flags, holding signs, clapping and chanting “USA” and giving them tokens of appreciation.  Cal-Maine Foods donated a case of fresh eggs to each veterans.

WoodmenLife Mississippi Jurisdiction picked this trip as its 2025 sponsored project, and it was in planning for nearly two years  Initially, the goal was raising the required money to pay for 25 Mississippi Veterans (those eligible were those who enlisted in 1975 or before) to travel to Washington D.C, through the Lone Eagle Honor Flight Program.  WoodmenLife Mississippi fraternal chapters pledged donations to provide the financial means to make this happen.  By the time for the funds to be submitted to Lone Eagle for the trip, there were 27 veterans from Mississippi confirmed and enough funds to help sponsor an additional 11 terminally ill veterans from varying states.  The project paid all expenses for the veterans and their guardians. 

Lisa Davis, Regional Director WoodmenLife Misssissippi South suggested the project and Chris Sparkman, Regional Director at Mississippi North agreed it was a superb idea.  The plan was set in motion for the 2025 Mississippi Jurisdiction project to be a fully sponsored Lone Eagle Honor Flight. 

In addition to the Wesson and Brookhaven veterans, the Honor Flight included the following veterans for other areas of Mississippi:  Jimmy Franklin Zdenek, Ocean Springs, John Douglas James, Gulfport, Robert Larry Thomas, Gulfport, James Earl Thomas, Gulfport, John Fredric Battle, La Grange, Jeffrey Alan Davis, Peachland, John Lowery Hoggatt, Gulfport, Charles Fredrick Gardner, Union, George William Copeland, Brandon, Herman Perry Bozeman, Philadelphia, James D. Embrey, Chunky, James Kirk Hodge, DeKalb, Jarvis Dale Winstead, Philadelphi, Kenneth A. Acton, Byram, Marshall Paul Yates, Taylorsville, Martin Francis McCann, Meridian, Perry Willis Smith, Byram, Richard Leroy Nelson, Bailey, Richard Glenn White, Byram, Tommie G. Jefcoat, Louisville, William David Smith, Pearl, Robert Andrew McNeil, Tupelo, Chester Marin Ross, Southaven, Harold Wain Palmer, Rienzi, Kenneth Neal Patterson, Belden, and William J. Mims, Tupelo.

WoodmenLife, founded in 1890 as a not-for-profit, offers life insurance and retirement products to customer-members across the country who join together in a shared commitment to family, community and country.  Through the Honor Flight program, they share and encourage patriotism in their communities by celebrating veterans and volunteers.