(Ed. note: This piece was written by Cecilia McCann, CW4 (ret.), Army and sent to the Finger Lakes Times on behalf of her second cousin Maj. Cuddeback-Jones.)
Doris Cuddeback-Jones, RN, Army, Major (ret.) recently was selected for a Lone Eagle Flight out of Gulfport, Mississippi.
The Lone Eagle Flight program is a way to properly welcome home those veterans that served in wars that didn’t receive the proper “Thank you for your service and welcome home.”
Cuddeback-Jones was part of Lone Eagle Mission 72, the first all-women Welcome Home flight. The 46 women were comprised of one Korean War veteran and 45 Vietnam Era Veterans from all over the United States. Words cannot express the emotions throughout this three-day venture.
The event started with a meet and greet dinner hosted by the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport. Upon arrival to Baltimore there were other veterans greeting at the hotel, along with a dinner hosted by the American Legion Auxiliary President.
The big day was filled with stops to the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, World War II Memorial, the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by lunch at the Roosevelt Memorial and the Martin Luther King Memorial.
The most significant event was visiting the Korean and Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Maj. Cuddeback-Jones, a Vietnam veteran, knew eight women whose names are etched in the war memorial. She managed to locate all the women and received their name rubbings.
The day concluded with a dinner hosted by and at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial. Each woman veteran received a certificate for having their story told at the museum and they had “Mail Call.” This is when family and friends sent cards in support their women veteran.
Upon return to Gulfport with a water cannon salute over the plane, there were around 100 people welcoming these women veterans home.
A police and motorcycle escort from the airport to the Gulfport Retirement Home was a very emotional moment for all the ladies, guardians included.
Mrs. Cuddeback-Jones is a Geneva/Waterloo native. She served as nurse in the Women’s Army Corp and has worked on cruise ships and at summer camps as a nurse. She has a wide variety of hobbies including expert pistol marksmanship, private pilot and scuba diving. She served as a past American Legion Commander and is currently serving as the DAV secretary for her local chapter in Gulfport.
The event was sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary.
To apply or donate to the Lone Eagle program, visit loneeagle.honorflight.com