The Sailor
Cedar Valley Honor Flight’s 13th trip took 98 World War II and Korean War era veterans to Washington, D.C. on June 16, 2015. It wasn’t until the following year that Vietnam War veterans were eligible for Honor Flights departing from Waterloo, Iowa, so there were a large number of wheelchairs to manage and veterans who needed them that day.
There are two moments during each Honor Flight experience where photographers need a fast camera and a trigger finger to match. With the goal of capturing at least one image of every veteran in attendance, the best times to do this are when the plane lands, both going and coming home.
After we landed at Baltimore-Washington International Airport on that warm day in June, 2015, I was looking for the best position that would result in good images of the receiving line. A group of active duty Navy sailors had made their way to the airport to greet the veterans from Waterloo and I had to admit they looked quite snappy in their mostly white uniforms. During a short break in the action, as I waited for another group of wheelchairs to descend down the jetway, something caught my eye at the end of the receiving line. Unlike everyone else who was standing, Petty Officer Jeff Kleppe had squatted down so that he could make direct eye contact with a veteran hunched over in his wheelchair. While it was a genuine moment I will never forget and was lucky enough to photograph, I was even more impressed when we returned to the airport nine hours later. Waiting there to visit and see his “fellow” Iowa veterans off before they returned home was Jeff Kleppe. I say “fellow” because the petty officer’s hometown is Elgin, Iowa.
Not only did this image grace the front page of the next edition of The Progress Review, it was also on the cover of the commemorative DVD each veteran on the flight received. To this day, the image still resonates, a beautiful example of the intent of the Honor Flight program. And that’s why it’s also featured on the cover of The Cedar Valley Honor Flight Story: A Photographic Journey, a new book coming soon, filled with 166 pages of photos that will make you proud to be an American. -MW
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