Hingham veteran participates in Honor Flight trip to DC: ‘It was a humbling experience’

September 18, 2024 By Carol Britton Meyer

Hingham veteran Dr. James Gilbert shared a “life-changing” experience while participating in the recent Honor Flight New England trip to Washington, DC, where he and other Vietnam, Korean, and WWII veterans were honored for their service to their country. He was accompanied by one of his daughters, Patty McDonald, as his guardian.

Gilbert was a lieutenant stationed in Guam as a medic from June 1966 to June 1968 during the Vietnam War.

“I spent my entire career [while in the service] at the Guam Naval Hospital, which was an evacuation hospital for Vietnam casualties,” Gilbert told the Hingham Anchor.

The mission of the non-profit Honor Flight is to celebrate America’s most senior veterans by inviting them to share in an all-expenses-paid day of recognition and appreciation — including a visit to the nation’s memorials, which honor their service and sacrifices.

“It was a humbling and good experience,” Gilbert said. “There were many veterans older than I am who are doing very well, and there was a lot of enthusiasm shown to us at the airport.”

While he appreciated the experience and the show of support for him and the other veterans, Gilbert’s main focus isn’t on himself but on helping to get the word out to other veterans about the Honor Flight Program. “I want to be sure local veterans know about it,” he said.

This “was an opportunity to thank veterans who were not thanked the first time they returned home, and it was appreciated,” McDonald said.

The national Honor Flight Network consists of independent “hubs” working together to honor veterans at the nation’s capital — an experience in which many veterans might not otherwise be able to take part were it not for generous donations to this cause.

Well-known member of the community
Gilbert, a 51-year Hingham resident, is well-known in this community after earlier serving on the school committee for 10 years, as a softball, basketball, and baseball coach in the 1980s, and as an original member of the Hingham Education Foundation, in addition to participation in other volunteer activities.

McDonald nominated her father after her sister, Susan Hess, shared information about the program.

A highlight of the experience was at the end of the trip during the bus ride to the airport, when Gilbert and the other veterans were presented with letters from friends, relatives, and members of their communities thanking them for their service — which came as a complete surprise.

A surprise ‘mail call’
Prior to the trip, as part of a “mail call,” family members and other well-wishers were invited to send letters of appreciation to a special address as part of the Honor Flight program.

Gilbert received more than 100 letters, including from the Hingham High School Veterans Appreciation Club, “which met one day before school and wrote letters to my dad” — which was especially meaningful — McDonald said.

All the letters Gilbert received were appreciated, including some from former patients and co-workers at Brockton Hospital, where he was a physician for a number of years.

“It felt great to be remembered by people I worked with 15 or 20 years ago,” Gilbert said. “The whole experience made me feel honored to have served my country.”

This was the 67th Honor Flight trip, according to McDonald. “They are a small group of dedicated volunteers who made the whole experience as accessible and as easy as possible for the veterans. It was a seamless experience.”

For further details and contact information, go to https://honorflightnewengland.org/ and https://www.honorflight.org/hub-by-county/ and to https://honorflightnewengland.org/apply/ for application information.