Three Miami County Veterans participated in the 101st Kansas Honor Flight recently. They were flown from Wichita to Baltimore, then escorted to all of the war memorials in the Nation’s Capital, as well as other tourist sites. Mike Welter, from Paola was a U. S. Navy Corpsman who served from 1973 to 1977. He worked closely with the Marines because the Navy furnishes medics to the Marines. According to the Miami County Republic, he spent much of his time alongside good friend, Tom Watkins of Paola. Watkins served in the U. S. Marine Corps from 1967 to 1969, spending 13 months “out in the bush” in Vietnam. Richard Gibbs was also part of the group. Gibbs served from 1977 to 1981 on active duty, stationed in Germany and another eight years with the U. S. Army Reserve. All three veterans from Miami County said the trip was unforgettable, and the volunteers made sure things went smoothly.
The Kansas Honor Flight is an all-volunteer organization that works to honor Kansas veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War by providing them with an all-expenses-paid journey of honor and remembrance to visit their memorials in Washington, D. C..
