Page 7 - Boca ViewPointe - December '24

December 2024 Viewpointe, Page 7
The America I Remember Is Still Here

By Robert W. Goldfarb boarded the bus as old people, but were being honored We had been issued distinctive Honor Flight caps and
as the young who answered a long-ago call to arms. tee-shirts and advised to wear them. We were told we
I spent 20 hours of a recent Saturday in an America When we arrived at PBI, a truck welcomed us with a would understand why at the memorials.
I feared had gone. The election was days away and the geyser of spray across our plane. It was now barely four Our first objective was Arlington National Cemetery
country seemed to be in conflict with itself. Looking back, I in the morning but the terminal erupted with emotion as to witness the changing of the guard at the tomb of the
should have had more confidence there were quieter voices we walked to our gate. We were being showered with unknown soldier. Those already seated at prime viewing
out there that spoke of one country, one people. gratitude by the hundreds who arose before dawn to places, saw us and immediately beckoned us to take seats
I had been invited by Honor Flights to join other Florida embrace us. some had waited hours to secure.
veterans on a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. Honor Flights, On the flight, 80 veterans were seated alongside 80 We walked or were bussed to each of the memorials,
a foundation dedicated to serving veterans, was going to fly Guardians, volunteers who would walk by our side or WWII, Marine Corps, Air Force, Korea, Vietnam. Volunteers
us to memorials to wars in which we had fought. Our flight accompany those in wheelchairs. My Guardian was an living in Washington had set up benches and tables and
carried only veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. 18-year-old girl whose grandfather had served in Vietnam. prepared a variety of sandwiches for our lunch. When we
The youngest was 70, the oldest, a 102-year-old sailor. She honored his memory by anticipating my every need. I thanked them, they protested, saying “We thank you!”
We boarded busses to Palm Beach International Airport was her age when I enlisted in the Army, and learned in our It was a glorious day, the sun blazing against a cobalt
at 3:30 AM, an hour most of us hadn’t been awake since long talks how different and similar 18 year olds can be. sky, the air warm with the kindness everyone bestowed
we served. Our bus was flanked by ten motorcycle police, As we left the plane at Ronald Reagan Washington on us. The veterans were old, but none of us spoke of
their sirens piercing the darkness. National Airport, this terminal also thundered with calls being tired. Instead we felt as young as we were when
At every overpass arching the highway, fire trucks of welcome from those who waited at 7:30 AM to touch we fought in places now being memorialized.
blazed their lights over people cheering us. We had us, to make certain we heard their respect and affection. There wasn’t a moment when Honor Flight staff
members–most of them retired police, fire or EMS
professionals–weren’t asking if a veteran needed
anything. The instant I was separated from my Guardian,
ARE YOU SNOWBIRDS someone called out, “Bob, I’m here if you need me.”
At about 6 PM we were driven back to the Washington

airport where we had dinner. Passengers and airline
FROM NEW YORK? employees continually hurried over to tell us how grateful
they were for what we did all those years ago. On the plane
to PBI, each veteran was given a large folder filled with
letters praising us for our service.
These were not casual greetings; they were heartfelt,
written more with feeling than with words. Most were
While you're away from your NY residence, clearly from children and signed only with a first name. One
was signed by a boy who mentioned the school he attended.
it's important to have a trusted professional I wrote to the principal, asking that she express my gratitude
to the boy and the other students who had written to us.
check your home. to walk as a military unit through the terminal. Suddenly, a
When we landed in Florida we were assembled and told
Scottish Marching band appeared before us, bagpipes blazing
the path forward. It was now nearly 11 PM when the ordinarily
quiet airport thundered with cheers from the hundreds of men,
woman and children who lined the walkway.
Eleven O’clock and little children reaching out to
touch us, their parents calling out, “Welcome home” as
though we had just returned from battle! Many of us, me
among them, began to cry. Honor Flight staff kept urging
us. “Move closer to the people; they want to touch you,
to take your hand!”
Those who arose before dawn to see us off and the
parents who kept their children awake as midnight neared
We are Scarsdale based realtors with 20+ years to welcome us home had made a sacrifice of their own to
bond with ours. I didn’t have to ask who these people were.
I knew who they were. They were the Americans who made
serving the Westchester and Riverdale communities. this the country I was honored to serve when it needed me.

Bob’s articles have appeared in The New York Times,
We offer custom concierge property management The San Francisco Chronicle and in Next Avenue, the
services which include checking: publication of the Public Broadcasting Service. His
book, “What’s Stopping Me From Getting Ahead?” was
✔ heating and electricity published by McGraw Hill and is in five languages. 

✔ plumbing

✔ interior (basement to attic) and exterior

facade

✔ property for fallen trees, snow, etc.

✔ flooding

We make your time in the sunshine state worry free!

Looking forward to speaking with you.

Jennifer Askowitz Michele Silverman Bedell
Broker Associate Owner/Broker
Silversons Realty Silversons Realty
M. 917-747-3847 M. 914-906-4376
jaskowitz@gmail.com msilvermanbedell@gmail.com