World War II veterans return from Honor Flight

Veterans Rufus White, Bob Davis and Young Johnston pause beside the "Alabama" column of the World War II Memorial during their visit to Washington with the Honor Flight.

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Published: May 13, 2009

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Last Saturday, several United States veterans arrived in Dothan to a hero’s welcome.

There were bands, National Guardsmen and even a motorcycle group to welcome them back to the Wiregrass, but these vets weren’t returning from battle. The 90 area World War II veterans were returning from the Wiregrass Honor Flight to Washington D.C.

Eleven WWII veterans and seven “guardians” from the Barbour County area took part in the honor flight to the World War II memorial in Washington. Rufus White was one of those veterans.

“It was the greatest experience I’ve had in a long time,” he says. “Everything was first class. It was just a fantastic experience.”

White was almost 17 years old when he joined the United States Navy. He served in the Pacific Theater during World War II in Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

The Iwo Jima Memorial was just one of the stops White and fellow veterans made during the honor flight. Veterans and guardians also visited the World War II Memorial to place a wreath on the “Alabama” column of the memorial.

Read more on this story in the weekend edition of The Tribune avaliable Friday, May 15.