There are occasions in my career that I have to take a moment to step back and truly reflect on what I have seen and the people that are involved. I tend to hold my emotions a bit closer to my chest and there aren’t many moments that make me lose composure, let alone leave me sobbing in my car when I get home. In fact it feels funny to write that. I had no idea what to really expect when being asked to photograph Honor Flight 0614 on the 70th anniversary of WW2 D-day. Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. The program transports our heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect at their memorials. One veteran, Arthur Clark, who passed a couple months before being able to go on the trip was honored by having a flag and a photograph escorted by Sgt. Nick McCreary, USMC to each memorial. The flag held in his honor was presented to Arthur’s wife upon returning home. I had been truly amazed by the stories and the character of each of the veterans on the trip but it was this moment of seeing a widow accepting a flag on behalf of her husband and seeing her clasp her hands to her mouth as tears started to come down that elicited a collective catching of breath from all who were there.

Here are just a few of the many photos taken on the 3 day long trip. For more details and footage you can see the coverage provided by KRQE as well as KOB.