Honor Flight Chicago lets senior living executive pay tribute to veterans

Dan Harrington’s long career in senior living has allowed him to meet hundreds of veterans over the years.

But it was a conversation with one resident in particular more than a decade ago that spurred Harrington, today the executive director of Oak Trace senior living community in Downers Grove, to take a more active role in honoring those service members.

“I was talking to a gentleman whose plane had been shot down in China and I asked him, ‘Did you get a Purple Heart?’ And he said, ‘No, they didn’t give me one because I really didn’t get hurt too bad.’ And I said, ‘The plane you were in was shot out of the sky and you crashed and you didn’t get a Purple Heart for that?’ And he said, ‘No, but it’s OK.’ ”

At the time, Harrington had been working in a retirement community in Hoffman Estates and was hearing from some individuals who recently had returned from taking part in an Honor Flight Chicago trip.

The nonprofit Honor Flight organization takes American veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War on an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials that honor their service.

“They were saying what an amazing day it was and that it was one of the best days of their lives. And I thought, ‘I really ought to try and encourage the guys I know to go,’ ” Harrington said. “That’s really what triggered me to get involved with Honor Flight Chicago. I met these guys who had just amazing stories and I told them I’d put them in a limo to and from Midway Airport if they go and a bunch did.

“Then, in probably 2012 or 2013, I said to myself, ‘I ought to practice what I preach here and maybe volunteer. So I filled out the application and it’s been one of the best decisions I ever made.”

Harrington started as part of the “ground crew.” That team is responsible for arriving at the airport before 4 a.m. on flight day to check in the veterans, organize the pre-flight activities and ensure everything is ready.

“Then I’d leave and go off to work,” Harrington said. “I did that for probably 40 or 50 mornings.”

He was persuaded by Honor Flight Chicago CEO and co-founder Mary Pettinato to take on another role.

“She walks up to me and says, ‘You’re that senior living guy, right? I want you to fill a trip with all the people from your communities who had been in World War II and haven’t gone yet and I want you to go with as a guardian,’ ” Harrington said.

Guardians ensure that every veteran has a safe and memorable experience, with duties including physically assisting the veterans at the airport, during the flight and at the memorials.

At first, Harrington balked.

“I told her, ‘I don’t need to go. Give someone else the opportunity. I’m fine.’ But you don’t say no to Mary. And it was amazing,” Harrington said. “I still remember the first gentleman I was guardian for who has since passed. The whole trip, I was on cloud nine. I cried a number of times.”

He’s since become a bus captain, a role he enjoys.

“When Honor Flight started in 2008, they would have three busloads of veterans and now we have six. The other bus captains and I have a great camaraderie. We all like to say we have the best bus,” he said.

Harrington has participated in more than 30 Honor Flights.

“I go to bed at 8 the night before, set the alarm for 1:45, get on the road by 2:15 and get to Midway at 3. I generally get home around 10:30 or 11 that night. It’s a long but rewarding day,” he said.

His goal is to reach 50 Honor Flights.

“But check with me on my 49th,” Harrington said with a laugh. “I’ll still want to do it, of course. I try to take the next day off of work each time, not really because it’s physically exhausting but because it’s emotionally exhausting.

“The most powerful part of a trip for me is that we’re able to spend some time with these veterans and look them in the eyes and say, ‘Thanks for putting your life on hold. Thanks for keeping this great country free.’ They’ll tear up and I’m tearing up. It’s just incredible to witness and be a part of.”

Doug Meffley, co-director of Honor Flight Chicago, lauded Harrington’s service to the organization.

“Dan’s dedication and commitment to not only our overall mission but to each and every senior war hero we honor represents the very best of our incredible volunteer corps,” Meffley said. “My co-director, Edna Ho, and I joined Honor Flight Chicago in late 2018, and on my very first flight I sat next to Dan, who was as welcoming to me as he is to our veterans. He has been entrenched as a volunteer for nearly a decade now.”

Besides being a bus captain and trip leader, Meffley said, Harrington actively recruits senior veterans to make sure they don’t miss out on the life-changing experience.

“I can’t tell you how often he [copies] me on messages to veterans saying things like, ‘It was great to meet you while I was mowing my lawn, here’s the application for your Day of Honor I was talking about,’ ” Meffley said. “We often hear from the veterans that the most impactful part of their Honor Flight Chicago experience is the overwhelming number of our volunteers and the genuine gratitude they exhibit. Dan is the epitome of that for us and so much more.”