Old Saybrook vet honored with Father’s Day flight to D.C. memorials

Samantha Mathewson — New Haven Register Old Saybrook’s Lyle Bishop, left, and David Sullivan will be visiting Washington D.C. memorials Sunday as part of an Honor Flight New England trip. Samantha Mathewson — New Haven Register Old Saybrook’s Lyle Bishop, left, and David Sullivan will be visiting Washington D.C. memorials Sunday as part of an Honor Flight New England trip. Photo: Journal Register Co. Photo: Journal Register Co. Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Old Saybrook vet honored with Father’s Day flight to D.C. memorials 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Honor Flight New England celebrates veterans along with Father’s Day Sunday, and one of Old Saybrook’s own will be among those on the flight.

World War II veteran Lyle Bishop, 89, from Old Saybrook, will spend Father’s Day in Washington visiting the World War II Memorial, courtesy of Honor Flight New England.

“I’m tickled pink because I’ve always wanted to see it,” said Bishop. “I’m glad I got back and I can do this.”

Bishop served under the Army Airways Communications Systems branch of the Army from March 1943 to February 1946. He was stationed in the China-Burma-India Theater, where he was a cryptographic technician for the 88th Fighter Squadron. In this position his job was to decode and deliver messages.

“At this age I wouldn’t put money into traveling to see the memorial,” said Bishop, recognizing the importance of the organization providing the opportunity for veterans who would otherwise be unable to see the memorials.

Honor Flight New England is an independent non-profit organization that joined the national Honor Flight Network in the spring of 2009. The organization provides free flights and tours of the Washington memorials.

Since the organization started, it has been able to send 992 veterans over 60 months, and 24 more will travel with their guardians on the Father’s Day flight Sunday.

David Sullivan, Bishop’s neighbor, heard of Honor Flight New England while listening to the radio. He decided Bishop was the perfect candidate and started the application last year.

Sullivan will be Bishop’s guardian and accompany him on the trip. Sullivan is a Vietnam veteran and while the trip is for Bishop, Sullivan said it will be very emotional for him as well.

“I am thrilled to spend the day with him, and getting to see the memorial is what it is all about,” said Sullivan.

They are scheduled to fly out of Manchester, N.H., at 4:40 a.m., and in addition to the free flight, the veterans and their guardians are given breakfast, lunch and dinner. The tour equals about 3 miles of walking, so each veteran is provided with a wheelchair.

Joe Byron, founder of Honor Flight New England, explained that the application process can be lengthy. When applications are received they are date stamped, and veterans are approved on a first-come, first-served basis.

“I have heard veterans say that seeing the memorial is one of the top three most important moments in their life,” said Byron. “Getting married, having children and seeing the memorials.”

An estimated 640 World War II veterans die each day, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Donations can be made payable to Honor Flight New England at P.O. Box 16287, Hooksett, N.H. 03106. More information can be found at http://www.honorflightnewengland.org.

“I would like to see other veterans able to go,” said Sullivan. “It is important to get the word out about the organization.”