Bella, a Therapet, gets ready to welcome East Texas veterans who arrived at the Tyler Pounds Airport from Washington D.C. (Jennifer Scott/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

East Texas veterans were greeted Wednesday night by an adoring crowd at the Tyler Pounds Regional Airport as they arrived from their trip to Washington D.C. as part of the Heroes Flight program by Brookshire’s Grocery Company.

“We represented every generation and conflict that we’ve had and it was an opportunity to show them appreciation for their service,” said Morgan Jones, Director of Community Involvement and Communications with Brookshire Grocery Company.

To honor American veterans from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the War on Terror, Brookshire Grocery Company (BGC) launched Heroes Flight, an initiative offering complimentary flights to Washington D.C. for visits to memorials and historical sites. Accompanied by company employees, the veterans received support to ensure a safe and memorable experience.

Out of over 700 applicants, 24 veterans from East Texas and Arkansas were chosen for a three-day trip to the nation’s capital to visit memorials honoring veterans like themselves.

“The oldest we had was a World War II veteran at 99 years old and the youngest being an Afghanistan-Iraq veteran at 36 years old,” Jones said. “We had every brand of service with us as well.”

Shawn Kirkpatrick joined his grandfather — Joe Staple, an Army veteran — to offer support and companionship during the journey.

“He’s 94 and it’s a little tricky for him to get around and all the things they were doing,” Kirkpatrick said. “But the way they (BGC) designed it for them to experience… everything they thought through was amazing. They were very conscientious about every little detail.”

U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran (TX-01) and Arkansas Congressman Bruce Westerman accompanied the veterans on their trip, playing an instrumental role in coordinating visits to various memorials and historic sites.

“Congressman Moran did an amazing job setting things up for them, to be able to visit the Capitol and the Library of Congress,” Kirkpatrick said.

Other stops on the schedule include Arlington National Cemetery, the Air and Space Museum and memorials honoring the U.S. Marines, Navy, Air Force, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr., and Vietnam and Korean War veterans.

“We were treated like royalty,” Staple said. “Everywhere we went, people welcomed us. They would clap for us… it was really humbling.”

Staple was drafted into the Army during the Korean War in the anti-aircraft division.

“There’s where you shoot out the enemy airplanes,” he explained. “We had to check every airplane that got off course. Any that wasn’t tracked with our radar, we had to get up and get our guns ready just in case it was an enemy. We got up many, many nights and uncovered the guns in the cold and waited until we got it all clear.”

The trip is all expenses paid to honor the veterans for their service and sacrifices. Since the first flight, more than 500 veterans have traveled with BGC to Washington D.C.

“It was a great planned trip,” Staple said. “They took great care of us. We didn’t spend one dime… as a matter of fact, Brookshire’s told us to not bring any bills with us. And they had their own people helping us, especially the 11 of us in wheelchairs… and they would help us off the bus. They were amazing.”

“As his grandson, it was really moving to see people appreciating him and who he is and loving him and getting to see him supported and loved like that,” Kirkpatrick said.

Since the program is dependent on a charter flight to get the veterans and the representatives to and from Washington D.C., American Airlines partnered with the initiative.

“Their crew actually volunteered for the whole trip from start to finish,” Jones said. “And what’s really cool about the American Airline crew that was with us, they were all veterans themselves. So we had amazing representation and loved every minute of it.”

This marks the first Heroes Flight since 2019 due to the pandemic shutdown, and it certainly won’t be the last. Now part of the Brookshire family, veterans can expect ongoing support and connection, as evidenced by the camaraderie observed on this trip.

“These are lasting relationships that we’ve built and it’s because of the experience that we just had together and getting the opportunity to get to walk along these veterans from generations of seeing these memorials, monuments built in their honor, hearing their stories, seeing the emotion that they felt for the service that they gave,” Jones said. “It’s an incredible thing and I’m so thankful for what we get to do.”