A surprise Honor Flight gives longtime Air Force veteran a chance to revisit military history and reflect on a lifetime in aviation.
For James Hawkins, the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., alongside dozens of fellow veterans was a trip he had nearly forgotten he had applied for.
Hawkins, a Plant City-area veteran and longtime member of several veterans’ organizations, applied for an Honor Flight last year. When he was selected for a flight this year, the news came as a surprise.
“I had put in for it a year before and had forgotten about it,” Hawkins said. “I hadn’t heard from anybody.”
The surprise continued when Hawkins learned that his son, Kenneth Rhodes, had secretly agreed to serve as his guardian for the trip. Hawkins’ wife and son kept the arrangement from him until the day of orientation.
Hawkins stated, “My wife and my son kept it from me. I didn’t find out until the day of orientation.”
After that, he said, everything went smoothly.
The flight included 75 veterans, 75 guardians, and an 11-member flight crew. Veterans wore gray shirts; guardians wore blue, and the flight crew wore red.
During the trip, Hawkins and the other veterans visited some of the nation’s most significant military and historic sites, including the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and the Air Force Memorial.
From the Air Force Memorial, Hawkins could see the Pentagon.
The group also visited Arlington National Cemetery, where Hawkins witnessed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
“It was fantastic,” Hawkins said of the experience. One of the most memorable moments for Hawkins came at a newer memorial, where visitors can enter their information and receive a code that brings up their name on a large display. Hawkins was able to see his own name displayed.
“I got a picture taken with me standing there with my name,” he said. “It says, ‘Honoring James Hawkins.’”
For Hawkins, the Honor Flight was another chapter in a military career that has taken him across the United States and overseas.
He entered the U.S. Air Force on Aug. 24, 1966. After basic training in San Antonio, Texas, he attended technical school at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois, where he trained to become a jet engine mechanic.
His military career included assignments at bases in the United States and overseas. In 1970, he served at RAF Lakenheath in England, where he worked on F-100 aircraft in the engine shop.
He later served at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington and MacDill Air Force Base in Florida before being assigned to Udorn, Thailand.
Hawkins returned to RAF Lakenheath in England in the 1980s and eventually returned to Fairchild, where he was discharged from the Air Force in 1987.
His career did not end there.
After leaving the Air Force, Hawkins went to work for Boeing Aircraft Company in Seattle, Washington, where he spent another 22 years before fully retiring.
His work with Boeing brought additional memorable experiences, including traveling to Dubai for an air show and traveling to Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War.
He also had the opportunity to work on one of the world’s most recognizable aircraft: Air Force One.
Hawkins said he needed a security clearance to work on the presidential aircraft. When Air Force One came to Everett, Washington, for work, he was among those who worked on the aircraft. Later, when the plane went to Wichita for a major overhaul, he was selected to travel there and help put it back together after it had been disassembled.
Now, Hawkins remains active in the local veterans’ community.
He is a member of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 787 and American Legion Post 26 in Plant City. He also attends First Baptist Church of Dover.
And on Wednesday mornings, Hawkins joins veterans from across the county for breakfast at Bob Evans in Brandon as part of a gathering known as “Bob’s Vets.”
The informal gathering brings together veterans from different branches of the military and various veterans’ organizations, as well as women veterans.
Hawkins said the weekly breakfast has become a place where veterans can stay connected and learn about activities happening throughout the community.
That includes an upcoming craft sale planned for November to raise money for the new Women Veterans Memorial at Memorial Park.
For Hawkins, the Honor Flight was more than a trip to Washington. It was an opportunity to stand alongside other veterans, revisit the history of those who served, and see his own name honored among millions of others.
James’ final reflection is a heartfelt one: “Aviation has been very good to me.” And after a lifetime spent serving, traveling, and working around aircraft, it gave him one more memorable experience to bring home.
