SALT LAKE CITY ā Over 70 Utah veterans are in Washington, D.C., for the 50th Utah Honor Flight.
When a unique group of individuals comes together like this, it means that some special stories and friendships develop while visiting historic sites.
“The first Black general?” Jim Hayes asked Merrill Wells, referring to a general they knew while serving.
“Yes,” Wells responded.
“In the United States Army,” Hayes said.
The two veterans were at one of the many historical sites in Washington and talked about how they knew the same people while serving in the Vietnam War, like General Benjamin O. Davis.
“I got pictures of him,” Hayes told Wells.
“I do too,” Wells responded.
“Oh. Do you really?” Hayes asked.
“Yeah,” Wells said while showing him pictures on his smartphone.
While the two served in the war, their paths to service were quite different.
“To tell you the truth, I was afraid of the draft, and I enlisted, and I got into the Nike Hercules missile program,” Hayes told KSL-TV.
For Wells, it was much more unexpected, as he was on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“I was sent home and got the letter from my mom. And she says, ‘You’re to report for active duty. ‘ And I just bawled. I just bawled,” Wells said.
Hayes and Wells said they learned on the trip that they likely crossed paths while serving.
“The same company. Yeah. And maybe the same platoon,” Hayes said.
The two said they have some of the same memories of serving.
“Everybody would start saying, ‘Get your steel pots on. General Davidson’s coming,'” Wells recalled with Hayes.
A chance discovery has turned into a treasured friendship. The two credited this meetup completely to the Utah Honor Flight.
“It’s a positive experience to something that, you know, has really cankered you about people, about the government, about stress and war,” Wells said.
A chance meeting like this helps make all of that turmoil, the difficulties of serving, all worth it.
“It’s wonderful. It’s touching. It makes me tear up,” Wells said.
“Yeah,” Hayes responded.
It’s an experience the pair will treasure for the rest of their lives.
“We need to keep in touch here,” Hayes said.
“Yeah,” Wells said in agreement.
On Wednesday, the group of veterans will visit the National Mall to see the major war memorials. These trips are funded by donations and volunteers accompany the veterans. The Larry H. Miller Group has been a big part of the Utah Honor Flight since 2022.