Labor of Love

I got the call just days before the second Honor Flight originating from Waterloo, Iowa was scheduled to lift off in May 2011. At the time, I was serving as the Editor and Publisher of The Progress Review, a weekly newspaper based in nearby La Porte City. Due to an unfortunate circumstance, a seat was available on the plane and the caller wanted to know if I was interested in filling it. With four local veterans aboard that flight, the first from La Porte City to make an Honor Flight departing from Waterloo, it was the chance of a lifetime I was not going to miss.

After returning from an incredible day in the nation’s capital, I had hundreds of photos and more than an hour of video footage that needed to be used in some way. Using my video editing software, I prepared a couple of programs that could be burned to a DVD and offered to send them to the veterans as a commemorative souvenir documenting their day in Washington, D.C..

At the time, I had no way of knowing that a long and rewarding working relationship with Cedar Valley Honor Flight was just beginning. Thirteen years later, we remain as committed as ever to the effort honoring Iowa veterans for their service, even after The Progress Review ended its publication run in 2020. I say “we” because our family-owned and operated newspaper has sent my wife, Jane, and valued employee, Mary Bauer, on numerous flights over the years and their skills as photographers are far outshine even my best day behind a camera. Thanks to fellow newsman John Klotzbach and Katie Davison, who have also covered flights for us, nearly 3,000 veterans have received commemorative DVDs of their Honor Flights, as our string of covering 28 consecutive flights continues into 2024.

And with the new year comes an exciting new project. The Cedar Valley Honor Flight Story: A Photographic Journey is a collection of more than 500 of our best images captured over the years and tells the story of how a committed group of volunteers has been able to raise more than $3 million to honor area veterans in a very special way.

I can’t wait to share it with you.  -MW