Texas WWII vets take last local Honor Flight of 2024 for Pearl Harbor ceremony

AUSTIN, Texas - The 95th flight for Honor Flight Austin left Friday afternoon on another important mission, but this one was much more than a sightseeing excursion.  

A processional that moved through the main terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport had busy travelers pausing to cheer and to applaud those who passed by. It made quite an impression on George Ruth.

"Oh My .... that brings tears to your eyes, that does. It is beyond imagination just is just fantastic," said Ruth. 

The group that took off for Washington D.C. was the last local Honor Flight trip of the year. Ten veterans who served during and shortly after World War II were on the flight with their escorts. 

Among them was Joe McPhail, who was a Marine pilot. "You know, I started flight school three days before Pearl Harbor," said McPhail. 

Ruth was in the Army and later transferred to the Coast Guard.

"I was stationed in Sand Island, Honolulu, across the bay from where the bombing was," said Ruth.

Elsie Rippin served stateside. She played a major role in the war effort by being part of a program called "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services", more commonly known as WAVES. 

"Aviation Machinist Mate. Third class. I worked on airplanes," said Rippin. 

Rippin said she spent most of her time on bombers. The other women on the flight line called her Kitty, a nickname she kept.

"All the girls that were there from different parts of the country, different states. They were so smart," said Rippin.

She turns 101 next month and told FOX 7 Austin trips like this help bring back memories that have somewhat faded. "Well, I didn't know I was going to live this long," she joked. 

The World War II Memorial is the main destination for Friday’s Honor Flight trip. That's where the 2024 Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony will take place on Saturday. The group from Texas will be part of the event.

"Each individual will be called pulled out individually. Their biography read what they did in service. They will then go lay a wreath next to the wall of remembrance, the wall of stars for those fallen who never came home," said Honor Flight-Austin CEO Steve Quakenbush.

For many of these veterans, this is not their first Honor Flight. Each trip is a special day, but the flight Friday was promoted as "a trip of a lifetime." McPhail, who is 103 years old, has done a few but was glad to be on this one.

"I wanted to remember the Pearl Harbor people. The people that will came on after me," said McPhail.

Ruth, who is 96, is on his third Honor Flight mission. "Well, I think they're special because it re-emphasizes the importance of unity," said Ruth.

The group is expected to visit the White House as part of this trip. A welcome home ceremony will be held Saturday night at 8 p.m. near the United Airlines check-in counter.

"16 million served during World War Two, which if you think of the population of the US at the time, that was a significant portion. Out of the 16 million, 420,000 didn't return home. At this point, we are less than 80,000 World War Two veterans that left with us in the United States. So if anybody knows a World War Two veteran, give them a hug. They are the unicorns, and we can't do enough to honor their service," said Quakenbush.

Plans are already in the works for 2025. There will be three missions this spring, another three in the fall, giving Honor Flight Austin a record of a little more than 100 missions. 

"Anyone who served prior to May of 1975 is eligible. They may have been in Oklahoma digging latrines, as long as they did this, they are eligible to join us on a flight. So, we're just really asking if you have a neighbor, you're at a Walmart, you're at H-E-B and you see a veteran hat say, have you been on an Honor flight? Free ticket to Washington, D.C. And it's really special," said Quakenbush.