Folsom veterans take a virtual DC trip

Not all veterans have the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., and its many notable monuments. However, the veterans of Brookdale Folsom and many other local veterans had the opportunity to go on a virtual trip thanks to the Mission to Honor Veterans event on Oct. 20. This year marked the third annual Mission to Honor Veterans event and welcomed nearly 100 veterans from various branches. As veterans rolled in on buses, police motorcycles escorted them to Foothills Church. They would find themselves immediately immersed in the experience of their trip, even before officially arriving in D.C. Everyone lined up and went through a mock Sacramento International TSA checkpoint. Then, they were greeted by Southwest Airlines gate agents and shown to their seats in the "airplane," which was an auditorium that displayed their experience. According to event organizer Kathy Hatten, Veterans Honor Flight, which offers yearly flights for veterans to visit Washington D.C., provided a "customized" video of one of their trips, which showed the plane leaving Sacramento International Airport and landing in Washington, D.C. Flight attendants were also shown in the video taking care of guests, further immersing everyone in the experience. Hatten said she and her team were inspired by Veterans Honor Flight when creating the virtual experience for those who can't travel physically because of health or other circumstances. Numerous others created virtual experiences inspired by Veterans Honor Flight, but Hatten said she hadn't seen anything like it in the Folsom, El Dorado or Sacramento areas. After landing in D.C., veterans got to view many monuments, sing patriotic classics together and swap stories regarding their experiences serving. Halfway through, veterans got to sit with their squads and enjoy a lasagna lunch prepared by event volunteers. Each squad also took turns having their photo taken in front of a green screen. The squads would later be edited in front of the WWII Memorial, "so it looks like they were really there!" said Hatten. Even if the trip was virtual, veterans had souvenirs to take home. Not only would they have a photo of themselves by the WWII Memorial, they were also given special Mission to Honor Veterans Challenge coins and a special veteran pin for their hats. What was arguably the most meaningful of all the souvenirs was the many thank-you letters from the community. "Mail Call" packets were prepared for the veterans, including letters from people of all ages. Children and adults alike expressed their gratitude toward the veterans of their community. After landing back at the Sacramento International Airport, veterans were escorted off the virtual plane to find a tunnel of community members cheering them, which Hatten describes as "the perfect ending to a great day." As veterans of Brookdale Folsom hopped back on the bus to head home, many expressed their excitement from the day. Brookdale Folsom is an assisted-living facility that several veterans call home. Seven of those veterans attended the event. John Wiser described the day as "wonderful." He also enjoyed being able to mingle with other veterans and share the virtual experience together. The Mission to Honor Veterans event welcomes a variety of people to attend, no matter the veteran's age or branch. Phil and Mary Braum from Brookdale show this perfectly, being one of the event's married couple veterans to attend. Hatten has also expressed an interest in having Space Force veterans in the future. The event has always been open to them, but Hatten said there hasn't been any interest from Space Force veterans yet. Stay tuned for more information about next year's event at the Mission to Honor Veterans Facebook page at facebook.com/MissionToHonorVeterans/.