WAYNESBORO, Pa. — Eric Haskins is dedicating his retirement years to making sure local veterans get the thank-you they’ve earned.
Haskins lives at Presbyterian Senior Living’s Quincy Village in Waynesboro. He and his wife moved there two years ago from Northern Virginia, where Eric was an active volunteer for the local Honor Flight chapter. He had traveled with the nonprofit organization on 43 “missions,” escorting groups of veterans on bus trips to Washington, D.C., to visit the war memorials built in their honor and helping to celebrate them for their service and sacrifice.
This was personally fulfilling for Haskins who is the only man in his family who hasn’t served in the military due to his Type 1 diabetes. In Honor Flight, he found his own way to serve.
However, after moving to Waynesboro, Eric learned there was no Honor Flight hub in Central Pennsylvania. So, he decided to build one. Today, Central PA Honor Flight serves veterans from Franklin County and the six counties that border it. The group hosts two missions per year (spring and fall), busing as many as 23 veterans and their volunteer guardians to Washington. The group is preparing for its third mission this Saturday, Oct. 24.
On the morning of Oct. 24, Central PA Honor Flight will gather at the Greencastle VFW Club to treat the veterans to breakfast before boarding the bus. They will then ride 90 minutes south and stop at Arlington Cemetery, where the veterans will be treated to exclusive access to the press pit to watch the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Other stops will include visits to the Air Force Memorial and U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial before arriving in D.C. to see the National WWII, Korean War Veterans and Vietnam Veterans memorials. This trip will also take place on the day the new Desert Shield and Desert Storm memorial opens.
At the end of the day, the vets will receive “mail call” on the ride home as they open hundreds of thank-you letters from the local community, and they will arrive back at the Greencastle VFW to a large group of volunteers who will greet them with the hero’s welcome they deserve.
