Derick Burton, Army Contracting Command-Rock Island procurement systems analyst, was a guardian to Lloyd Andersen (left) and Carl Hines, during an Honor Flight of the Quad Cities trip, June 2. During honor flight trips, guardians assist veterans arou...
ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Illinois -- An Army Contracting Command-Rock Island employee recently volunteered to assist veterans as they visited various memorials in Washington, D.C., June 2.
Derick Burton, an ACC-RI procurement systems analyst, volunteered as a guardian during the most recent Honor Flight of the Quad Cities event, and said it was a rewarding experience.
"I thought it was a cool thing they are doing for the veterans and I caught wind that they don't always have a family member to take them along, so I thought it would be a good idea to volunteer," said Burton.
Honor Flight of the Quad Cities is the local chapter of the Honor Flight Network, which sponsors chartered flights to Washington, D.C., principally for World War II and Korean War veterans. During the trips, guardians assist veterans around to so they can visit various memorials.
Burton said this flight hosted approximately 100 veterans and 70 guardians. He was a guardian to two Korean War veterans, Lloyd Andersen and Carl Hines. Burton said he particularly liked listening to the veterans' stories.
"We have a generation of veterans that is thinning out, and they have some pretty interesting stories to tell," he said. "Just hearing about that time period between the early 40s and late 50s, it's a time period that not a lot of people talk about now. My grandfather fought in Korea, but he passed away a while ago, so getting to talk to some guys from that era kind of reminds me what it would be like if my grandpa was still here."
Burton himself is a veteran, having served in the 82nd Airborne Division between 2000 and 2005, deploying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. This was Burton's first time volunteering for an Honor Flight and he hopes to do it again, whether in a guardian capacity or another function.
"They have bus captains and various people that keep things flowing who aren't necessarily guardians, so there are other jobs I could do as well," said Burton.
There are two more Honor Flight of the Quad Cities planned this year, Sept. 24 and Oct. 27.
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