Volunteer Nurses Help Honor Flight Take Care of Veterans
By: Cierra Putman
Updated: September 23, 2012
Sunday marked a milestone for a group dedicated to honoring our veterans. Honor Flight Rochester completed its 25th mission.
Honor Flight's World War II veterans are in their 80s and 90s, as a result many of them have special health needs. Which is why part of the crew for the flights is a group of volunteer nurses who help everyone return from the flight safe and sound.
They look out for all of the veterans like Emma Grasso. The 89 year old served stateside from 1945 to 1947 as a second lieutenant in the Army Nurses Corps. Her job - taking care of the men injured fighting on the front lines.
"You talk to those women and the time changes and the things that they did is just heroic," Honor Flight Leader Sally Sackett said.
"It kind of shocked me that they had been to war and they needed care and I was glad that I was able to help in some way," Grasso said.
Honor Flight has more than 20 volunteer nurses. Before the trip, they call the vets to discuss any health concerns. Each flight has two nurses who check on the vets through the weekend.
"I don't have to be concerned about not being ill or being hurt or anything," Grasso said. "I was amazed."
The next Honor Flight Rochester mission is October 20th. Click here to learn how to sign up yourself or someone else for one of the trips. They are free for veterans.
