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Hector Lovemore of Oracle volunteered to accompany a WWII vet on his Honor Flight.
An Oracle resident, Hector Lovemore recently volunteered to escort a World War II veteran to Washington D.C. as part of the Honor Flight program. Hector acted as the guardian for George Jelten. George is the father of a friend of Hector’s and lives in Tucson.
George Jelton 1945
George was born in Berkely, California in 1927 and enlisted in the Navy in 1945 at the age of 18 and was called to duty in 1946. His basic training was at the Naval Base in San Diego. He served on the vessels U.S.S. Toledo and U.S.S. Oregon City.
George Jelton today
Hector and George met up with Onofre and Marty Tafoya who were on the same Honor Flight. Sixty-seven World War II and Korean War Veterans went on this flight. Hector said that it was an amazing experience to see how these veterans were honored wherever they went. At the war memorials people came up to shake their hands and thank them for their service. These veterans were also honored at two dinners.
“It was an honor to go on this trip,” Hector said.
Volunteer guardians pay for their own flights. The current rate is $1,000 which includes airfare, lodging, meals, tips and local transportation. To be a guardian, you must be able-bodied between the ages of 18 – 75. You must submit an application at least eight weeks before the flight. You can submit an application with a specific veteran if you want to be their guardian. They will also assign you to escort one or two veterans if you volunteer as a guardian.
There are two hubs in Arizona. Honor Flight Southern Arizona in Tucson and Honor Flight Northern Arizona. Honor Flight Southern Arizona is looking for volunteers to do other jobs such as helping with fundraising events, newsletters, website maintenance, special events such as golf tournaments, parades, etc., clerical and administrative, media communications and tv spots, writing articles for newspapers and magazines and much more. School teachers are needed to have their elementary and middle school children write letters to the veterans which are distributed to the veterans on the return flight home. The teachers can also organize fundraisers with their school or class for Honor Flight. Honor Flight also provides speakers including WW II and Korean War veterans to speak to classes. Honor veterans at assemblies, etc.
Honor Flight is a non-profit and completely funded by private donations. You or your organization can help with fundraisers or personally donate. To find out more about Honor Flight Southern Arizona and how you can help, visit www.honorflights.org.
John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.
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