Last month, Stanley Zabierek of New Ipswich, along with his brothers, Wally and Steve Zabierek, each a veteran of the Vietnam era, were accepted for an “Honor Flight” to Washington, D.C.
It was 1969 when Stanley received his letter from the government to report for a physical. He said he knew that likely meant he would be drafted into the Vietnam War.
His brother Wally was already serving in the Marines and gave Zabierek some advice: Join the Air Force. So, Stanley Zabierek did, joining up before he was drafted, in part, he said, to ensure he had some control over where he might be deployed.
Before he left for service, he had one last hurrah with his sister and brother-in-law: a trip to the 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair in Bethel, New York. A month later, he was reporting for duty.
“It was quite the culture shock, from Woodstock to Lackland Air Force Base,” Zabierek said.
Zabierek was trained as a photo interpreter, reviewing photographs taken by planes flying over the Vietnamese landscape, identifying potential targets and troop movements, and later, reviewing satellite images and making maps. He spent a portion of his Air Force career in Japan, and then in California.
Zabierek said he first heard of the concept of an “Honor Flight” from his brother Steve, a Navy veteran of Vietnam, who had learned about the program from other veteran friends. Honor Flight New England is an organization that accepts applications from veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam, or terminally ill veterans, for a flight to Washington to visit war memorials. The flights are paid for by private donors, at no cost to the veterans. Steve suggested the three brothers apply. They were accepted and boarded their Honor flight on Oct. 19. They joined about 70 fellow veterans, each accompanied by an individual “guardian.”
On each leg of their trip, Zabierek said the group was met by dozens to hundreds of well-wishers at the airport. They were escorted to the airport by police and motorcycle groups, and waved off by a crowd of 200 well-wishers.
“It was kind of overwhelming,” he said. “It was the kind of welcome home we didn’t get coming back from Vietnam. It restored our faith in humanity, for sure.”
The visit to Washington included stops at several monuments, including the World War II monument, the Korean War monument, and the Vietnam War monument. Zabierek said he made a point to find the names of four people he knew from his local high school on the Vietnam Memorial so he could pay his respects.
In Stanley Zabierek’s words:
Editor’s note: Zabierek wrote the following description of the Honor Flight trip:
The description of Honor Flights of New England, as stated on their website, is that they are a non-profit organization and they are “honored to accept applications from heroes who served during WWII, Korea, and the Vietnam Era, or terminally ill veterans who served at any time.”
According to the website, “Through generous donations, we transport our heroes to Washington, D.C., to visit and reflect at their memorials at no cost to the veteran. A race against time to say thank you!
Two of my brothers and I were selected to participate in an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.
My brother Steve had heard about Honor Flights from some veterans that he occasionally meets for coffee. So, Steve talked to younger brother Wally, and myself (older brother Stan), encouraging us to apply. I served in the United States Air Force, Steve served in the Navy, and Wally served in the Marine Corps, all in the Vietnam Era.
Our applications were accepted, and we were scheduled to fly to Washington, D.C. on June 15, 2025, which also happened to be Father’s Day.
It is interesting to note that a huge military parade was planned for June 14 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, which also coincided with Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. The estimated cost of the parade was reported to be between $25 million and $45 million in U.S. taxpayer dollars.
Also, on June 14, there were calls for massive anti-Trump demonstrations to occur throughout the nation, so going to Washington, D.C., in the aftermath of these events would have made it a very interesting trip, for sure.
On May 24, we all received a phone call from Honor Flight volunteer Erin Murphy informing us that our Honor Flight had to be postponed. She said that this was the first time in 16 years that this had happened. She stated that government officials were restricting air and local traffic in and around D.C. on June 14 and 15 because of the two events stated above.
We did, however, have an orientation meeting in Nashua on May 31, which our spouses could attend to know what exactly we should all expect on our Honor Flight, whenever it could be rescheduled. Brother Wally, brother Steve and his wife, Judy, and my wife, Louise, and I attended the orientation, along with many other Honor Flight selectees.
Joe Byron founded Honor Flights New England in 2009. He spoke and told us what to bring and what we could expect on the day of our flight. Board member at-large Sheila Peters greeted us as we came into the room. Sheila was the person who first called each of us to notify us all that we had been selected for the Honor Flight. The three of us brothers were singled out by Joe, as it was the first time that they had the honor to take three brothers on the same flight.
Joe and Sheila are definitely the heart and soul of this very giving and selfless organization and they are blessed to be surrounded by a large group of dedicated volunteers that absolutely love what they do. Every effort is made to make sure that every single veteran feels comfortable, honored and special. Another noted member of this organization is Allan White, the treasurer.
Honor Flights New England is not funded by government grants. Funding comes from the generosity of both small and large donations from individuals who recognize the importance of honoring the great accomplishments and sacrifices of American veterans, and want to help them see their memorials before it is too late.
The brothers were all notified by Sheila Peters that our flight was officially scheduled to be on Oct. 19, with more information to follow, as the event drew nearer.
I received confirmation Sept. 18, by U.S. mail that we were to meet at 5:30 a.m., in Londonderry, on Oct. 19, as scheduled. We would travel by bus to the Manchester airport and travel to Washington, D.C. The plan was to arrive back in Londonderry between 12 and 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 20. I was very excited to be a part of this special event.
On the morning of Oct. 19, my brother Wally picked me up at 4:15 a.m. and we got to Bellavance Beverage in Londonderry at 5:10. Got more swag — tee shirt, hat and nice insulated jacket. The three of us met our guardians. My guy is Joe Hoebecke from Bedford. Joe is a retired policeman who worked in Hudson and Hollis.
We left Bellavance around 6:30 and were met at the airport by at least 200 well-wishers, clapping, yelling and cheering, as we made our way to the plane. The flight was smooth and we got there in a little over an hour. Once again, we were greeted by a slightly smaller, but no less enthusiastic crowd.
Three buses took us first to the WWII memorial, while we watched a story of how the monument came to be. We stayed about 40 minutes there before moving on to the Vietnam Wall, where we found the names of four veterans from Chelmsford, our hometown.
We walked over to the Korean War Memorial and then got back on the buses and proceeded on to Arlington Cemetery, where we watched the changing of the guards, which was very intense and impressive.
The last stop in D.C. was at the Air Force Monument for about an hour, before we went back to Baltimore for a great turkey dinner with our guardians. On the way back, Joe handed each vet letters from home. I started reading them, but got too emotional to read more than a couple that were written by friends and neighbors. I read the rest the next day at home with my coffee in the morning.
The airport was about 15 minutes from the Hilton, where we ate. We got to the airport at around 8 p.m. We had to wait awhile before a plane came for us, so we bonded with all of the vets and guardians, meeting each other individually.
It was my privilege and pleasure to have been a part of this very special event. Not only sharing the experience with two of my brothers, but also bonding with what is sure to become an everlasting friendship with my guardian, Joe Hoebecke.
Surely a day I will look back upon fondly for the rest of my life.
Thank you, Joe Byron and your remarkable group of selfless volunteers. I think that the sentiment that we all feel, after the experience, is that you all made our day special and as American veterans, we were indeed, PROUD TO SERVE!!!
Stan Zabierek