The Commanding Officer and Command Master Chief of Training Support Center (TSC) Great Lakes took a flight with World War II and Korean War veterans to visit Washington D.C. memorials dedicated to their service and sacrifice, April 12.

More than 100 veterans left Chicago Midway Airport early for the one day trip to our Nation's Capital to visit locations celebrating our veterans and country including the Korean War Memorial, World War II Memorial, Marine Corps Memorial and Lincoln Memorial.

"If there is any doubt about the who the greatest generation in history is, you will not have a doubt after getting involved with the Honor Flight Chicago program," said Capt. Mark Meskimen, commanding officer TSC. "You will see and hear from these great Veterans the heartfelt stories of their sacrifices that they made during the war. So many of their comrades in arms did not make the journey back to the United States. These Veterans are the most amazing ever."

Waiting at the World War II Memorial to personally thank the veterans for their service was Former U.S. Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell.

"When I was walking around the numerous memorials with these veterans, listening to them, watching the crowds gather around to shake their hands and thank them for their service, I was in awe," Meskimen said. "These Veterans are the reason we are a nation today. Former U.S. Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell took the time out of his day to shake the hand of each and every one of these WWII and Korean War Veterans as well and thanked them for their many sacrifices. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will cherish forever."

The final honor to the veterans was the more than 2,000 people who received them when they traveled back to Chicago Midway Airport when they departed their plane. These include members of the local fire and police departments, veterans, families as well as Sailors from TSC and various commands.

"Seeing the TSC Staff and everyone at the airport when we came back was overwhelming and incredible," said TSC Command Master Chief Randy Reid. "The veterans had no idea that was coming, so it was emotional to say the least. Overall it was one of the highlights of my career and I am so glad that I was able to be a part of this amazing group, supporting our veterans."

Honor Flight Chicago is a non-profit organization founded in February 2008, to recognize Chicagoland's World War II and Korean War veterans by flying them all-expense-paid to Washington D.C. for a day. According to the organization, there are an estimated 53,000 WWII and Korean War veterans living in the Chicagoland area. More than 6,700 have participated in an Honor Flight.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more on Honor Flight Chicago, visit

For more news from Training Support Center, Great Lakes, visit www.navy.mil/.