• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

MarionMade

People, Places, Products, Programs

Visit Us On FacebookVisit Us On TwitterVisit Us On YoutubeCheck Our FeedVisit Us On Instagram
We Are Generous!We Are Having Fun!We Are Presidential!
  • Get Involved
  • About
  • Events
    • MarionMade! 5k Sign Up
  • People
  • Places
  • Products
  • Programs
  • Links
  • Contact

Honor Flight At Home Seeks Veterans

By Wendy Weichenthal on May 13, 2024

decorative flyer

Marion County is home to thousands of veterans. For veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam who cannot travel to Washington, D.C., local volunteers led by Margie Saull are working to honor them in a moving ceremony at Tri-Rivers Career Center at 2222 Marion-Mt. Gilead Rd., Marion, on June 8 at 2 p.m.

Honor Flight at Home 

Saull, a retired teacher from Marion City Schools, started Marion’s Honor Flight at Home ceremony after attending one in Florida with her father, Charles Sheets, a veteran of World War II.

An elderly man with a black hat stating "World War I Veteran" sits at a table. His daughter stands and smiles behind him.
Margie Saull and her father, Charles Sheets.

“I had heard about many veterans going to Washington, D.C. on honor flights. My dad was not able to fly because he had some health issues affecting his ears,” Saull said. “We were in Florida and we took him to an Honor Flight at Home event. I thought, ‘What an incredible opportunity for the veterans who are unable to travel!’”

First Ohio Honor Flight at Home Planned

Saull and her family returned home. She spent a year working with Honor Flight Columbus to plan this event. The first one was held in August of 2018.

“Thirty-two veterans were honored. The auditorium was packed!” Saull recalls. Her father, Charles Sheets, was among those first veterans to participate. He died in 2019.

“I’m glad he got to be honored. That’s what we need to do – honor veterans before it’s too late,” Saull said.

Veterans sit at tables to be honored. These are senior men and women, some in wheelchairs and with walkers.
The 2023 Honor Flight at Home.

So far, about 100 veterans have been honored, which is the equivalent of a planeload of veterans on an honor flight.

Eligible Veterans and Application 

The Honor Flight at Home Marion event is open to all Ohio veterans aged 65 and older who have served on active duty from 1941 to 1975. Veterans may not have participated on an honor flight previously and may not be able to travel to Washington, D.C.

Veterans must fill out an application by May 25. The application is below. Veterans and their families can also receive it by emailing her at saullgw4@yahoo.com.

2024 Honor Flight at Home Flyer

PDF of application

Each veteran receives a picture with the American flag. The ceremony includes an honor guard, music and giveaways. Families and the public are also invited to take part.

Veterans Find Ceremony Meaningful

For some veterans who were not welcomed home warmly, this ceremony can be especially meaningful.

“We had a Vietnam veteran in 2019 who wasn’t sure he wanted to come. I said we’d be glad to honor you. Two weeks later, I received a note. He wrote to say all those feelings that had been built up inside of him all those years were totally erased in one afternoon. That makes the program rewarding and worthwhile,” Saull said.

Another picture of attendees of the 2023 event.

Saull recalls going to a memory care unit to see a veteran who had recently participated in the Honor Flight At Home event.

“Somehow, we had missed taking this veteran’s picture at the event. We went to his memory care unit to take his photo with the flag. He waved and recognized me. He had received a patriotic quilt which he proudly showed us was now on his bed,” Saull said.

Marion Community Comes Together to Honor Vets

Margie’s husband, retired principal and teacher Fred Saull, also works to coordinate the event. Dozens of volunteers and donors work to make this day memorable from the moment veterans check in at 1 p.m.

“We have a motorcycle group who will help escort veterans in. We have Explorers to help park cars. On the day of the event, we have at least 50 people who are helping. There is great support from the community,” Saull said.

In addition, local school children are writing letters to thank each veteran for their service to read after the ceremony.

The Marion County Historical Society also supports this event by providing presidential re-enactors to make the day special.

“We are the home of the free because of the brave,” Saull said.

Additional Veterans Stories

Veterans Services Helps Local Military Families | MarionMade

Banner Project honors veterans from Marion | MarionMade

Memorial to Marion Soldiers, Sailors and Public Servants at Marion Cemetery | MarionMade

Veterans’ Memorial Park | MarionMade

Highlighting Marion’s Legacy of Black Leadership | MarionMade

MarionMade! is a program of Marion Technical College. 

 

Recent MarionMade! Stories

  • TRIO Talent Search Opens Doors to College and Career Options

    For teens and tweens at the family dinner table, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” may be a question they dread. The TRIO Talent Search team helps more than 500 students at 13 local middle and high schools to explore colleges and career options and chart a course for their future. […]Read More »
  • Bob & Dottie Wopat

    BOB & DOTTIE WOPAT.  . Operating under his lifelong philosophy to “never tell anyone how to do their job,” the late Bob Wopat and his wife, Dottie, left an open-ended legacy to the Marion community. And, neither was a Marion native.  . Bob was from Missouri and Dottie from Nebraska; they first came to Marion […]Read More »
  • New Owner Continues Proud Marion Tradition

    Despite the pandemic, Ed Emerson was ready to bet on a Marion business. This veteran purchased Promo Costumes in Downtown Marion in September 2020 from long-time owners Lyn and Dan Giles. Emerson drives from his home in the Brewery District in Columbus to his enterprise on West Center Street. The unassuming storefront leads into a […]Read More »
  • Marion’s Arena Football Team Wowed Fans

    For a decade, local football fans didn’t have to go to Columbus, Cincinnati, or Cleveland to watch a game. In 2006, the roar of the crowds and the thrill of the game happened at Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Marion County Fairgrounds. The Marion Mayhem, a professional indoor arena football league, made its way to […]Read More »

Share Your MarionMade! Story

Click Here to share your story about MarionMade! people, places, products, and programs!
  • Get Involved
  • About
  • Events
  • People
  • Places
  • Products
  • Programs
  • Links
  • Contact

Marion Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Downtown Marion Love INC Marion Public Library Marion Area Chamber of Commerce Marion CANDO! Marion Community Foundation United Way of Marion County Marion Technical College

© 2025 · MarionMade! is a community initiative led by Marion Technical College · Website is powered by Neighborhood Image