Honor Flight Michigan Documentary Honors WWII Vets

More than 100 World War II veterans and their families and friends packed into the on Memorial Day to see the Honor Flight Michigan documentary, The Legacy.

The film features never-before-seen footage of Honor Flights.

Honor Flights were all-expense paid one-day trips for WWII veterans to visit the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC, which they had waited more than 60 years to see. The memorial was dedicated in 2004 in remembrance of the more than 400,000 Americans who gave their lives in service to our country, as well as the 16 million who served in the U.S. armed forces and all who supported the war effort from home.

After seeing a television special, Royal Oak resident and U.S. Navy veteran Dave Cameron started an Honor Flight Michigan chapter that became a model for the rest of the nation. Cameron passed away in 2008, but his legacy was continued by a dedicated group of individuals who understood the importance of the mission.

The organization escorted nearly 1,400 veterans and 600 guardians on 33 flights to the WWII memorial site between 2007-10.

Moviemakers Jon Mellow of Royal Oak and Gabe Downey of Huntington Woods made the Honor Flight Legacy Project documentary to honor their grandparents who served in WWII. The 23-year-olds have been friends since they were 5 years old.

“Fifteen hundred World War II vets die every day. Honor Flights allowed living WWII vets to visit the memorial dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices for our country,” Mellow said.

At the Memorial Day premiere, the first Dave Cameron Humanitarian Award was presented. This year’s co-honorees were Rick Sage, a retired Royal Oak firefighter and Vietnam combat veteran, and Tim Downey, a businessman and Honor Flight Michigan volunteer. Filmmaker Gabe Downey is his son.

Legacy Project as three-part tribute

The Legacy Project is Honor Flight Michigan's three-part tribute to Michigan's veterans: a commemorative book, documentary film and permanent monument at Memorial Park.

“The nice thing about the film is that is going to be sold to raise funds to build a permanent World War II monument at ” at 13 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, Gabe Downey said.

The goal of the group is to raise $150,000 to build a monument, said Cathy Zimmerman, an Honor Flight Michigan board member and longtime employee of Royal Oak schools. 

A Walk of Honor is planned to lead up to the memorial and those who wish to honor the veterans or memorialize others can buy personalized bricks.

To purchase a brick, go to www.honorflightmichigan.com/shop or contact Melissa Downey at 248-541-1576 or melissad@honorflightmichigan.com.

For more information on Honor Flight Michigan visit www.Honorflightmichigan.com.

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