'Honor Flight' Lauds Sheriff's Office, Sgt. Pelton

Franklin County Honor Flight, Inc., its officers, staff, volunteers and World War II veterans, wish to commend your officers for their understanding and cooperation in responding to our urgent request of May 27, 2009.

As you know, our mission is to fly World War II veterans from Franklin County on donated money to see their new memorial (2004) and other war memorials in Washington, D.C. On May 27, 2009, 37 World War II veterans met with 20 escorts at 5 a.m. at Lambert Airport. Twenty-one of the veterans were in wheelchairs and three required intermittent oxygen. Because oxygen bottles are not permitted on commercial aircraft, Honor Flight provides battery-powered oxygen concentrators for use during the flight and until we can get oxygen bottles at the World War II Memorial. These devices extract oxygen from the air.     Through miscommunication, the three concentrators Honor Flight had rented for the flight were left at a doctors office in Washington, Mo. A call to your dispatch at 5 a.m. resulted in Sgt. Pelton meeting Dr. Keith Ratcliff at the doctors office and delivering the concentrators in the nick of time to avoid leaving the three needy veterans behind.

All of your officers involved, and especially Sgt. Pelton, are to be commended for their understanding, initiative and swift action. While there was ample justification to have denied our request, their appreciation of our dire need and their desire to show these World War II veterans the honor of a grateful nation prompted them to go beyond duty and make our mission a success.

On behalf of all concerned, I say thank you for a job well done.