Thursday, April 16, 2009
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - On Saturday, April 18, Presbyterian Hospital Matthews Nurse Educator, Judy Page, will serve as a “Flight Guardian,” taking to the skies with 125 WW II veterans on Charlotte’s first Flight of Honor. The Flight of Honor, a service project sponsored by the Rotary District 7680, honors World War II veterans with a chartered U.S. Airways flight to visit the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C.
“My husband retired after 35 years with the NC Air National Guard out of Charlotte, and I have other family members that served our country. This was a way that I could honor them and all veterans who fought for our nation,” said Page.
Page felt so impassioned by the cause she decided to pay her own way onto the Flight. When she met with one of the three veterans whom she will be “guarding” during flight, he shared with Page that he wanted to be able to live to see the Memorial.
“He talked to me about the loss of one of his best ‘buddies’ during the War; he will be looking for his friend’s name on the Memorial monument that day,” said Page.
Her responsibilities as a “Flight Guardian” include ensuring the veterans’ medical needs are met and providing any medical care should a need require it.
“It is wonderful to be able to use my nursing skills to help the families of these veterans feel comforted and assured that the health of their loved ones is being closely monitored throughout this trip,” said Page.
Each veteran’s flight is sponsored by a local organization and Presbyterian Hospital Matthews will be sponsoring a veteran who is a resident of Mint Hill. The hospital has also provided hand sanitizers to keep the veterans “germ-free” during their visit to the Memorial.
The Flight of Honor departure celebration will include a salute to the veterans from uniformed cadets of a local charter military school and local U.S.O volunteers. The salute will take place at designated entrances to the US Airways Terminal at the Charlotte Douglas Airport. As they land in the Capitol, the veterans will be met with a parade escort marking their visit to the WW II Memorial. The veterans will then return to the Queen’s City, later Saturday evening.
“I was so happy to hear that Presbyterian Hospital Matthews was going to sponsor a veteran on the Flight; we’re not just taking care of patients in our hospital, we’re taking care of people in the community,“ said Page.
