81-year-old SWFL veteran celebrated with Honor Flight

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Among the 100 Southwest Florida veterans headed to Washington D.C. on an Honor Flight is Bob Carpenter, an 81-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran who fought in the Vietnam War.

Carpenter served as an intelligence officer with the U.S. Air Force, working for the National Security Agency with top-secret security clearance.

When he returned from Vietnam, Carpenter said the atmosphere in his home country was unwelcoming.

“We were spit on and thrown things at. It was awful,” said Carpenter. “And to this day, you think about it, how we were hated and called everything in the world, but we did our job.”

After his time serving the country was over, he stepped into another challenging role as the news director at Kent State University.

“Four students were killed and nine wounded at Kent State because of the Vietnam War protest,” said Carpenter. “I had more fear there than I did in Vietnam.”

For Carpenter, Wednesday’s Honor Flight will offer a long-overdue moment: the welcome home he never received.

“Because instead of being spit on, we’re gonna be praised for what we did. This is all the greatest coming together, and I’m just thrilled that I’ll be doing this,” said Carpenter.

Carpenter’s Honor Flight guardian will be his longtime friend, Hal Kneller, making the experience even more special for the veteran.

“I’ve known him over 30 years, and I am privileged to be able to sponsor him as his guardian on this flight,” said Kneller.

But the experience isn’t just about the journey to Washington D.C.; it’s also about the warm welcome awaiting them back home at Punta Gorda Airport.

“The biggest surprise is when everyone gets off the airplane, and we come out of the terminal building, and there are hundreds and hundreds of people to greet them and give them the welcome home they never got,” said Kneller.

For those interested in helping Carpenter and the other 99 veterans receive the welcome home they deserve, the Honor Flight will return to Punta Gorda Airport at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

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