Ron Taylor had never been to Washington, D.C. That changed earlier this year when the retired Hoosier Energy employee and Vietnam veteran participated in the 50th Indy Honor Flight to the nation’s capital on May 30.

Indy Honor Flight is a nonprofit organization created specifically to honor Indiana’s veterans. Each Honor Flight is a one-day, no-cost trip to Washington, D.C., to visit memorials built in honor of veterans of World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War. Veterans who served in any military capacity between 1941 and 1975 are currently eligible to participate.

“It was really well organized, well done, and greatly appreciated,” said Taylor. “For those of us who are Vietnam veterans, it was probably the first time since I came home from there in 1970 that anybody actually said thank you. It was a great trip.”

Taylor, who retired in 2014 after 29 years at Hoosier Energy — the last 14 as lead instructor for the Hoosier Energy Apprenticeship Training & Safety (HEATS) program — joined the waiting list several years ago and received a surprise phone call this spring asking if he was still interested. There was no hesitation for Taylor, who served as a specialist in the U.S. Army as an M88 Tank operator from 1969 to 1971, including one year in Vietnam.

“Most of the people in the service at that time were just kids, and most of us had never been away from home,” he said.

More than 50 years later, Taylor finally made it to Washington, where each veteran was presented with a poster-sized picture of themselves as they toured monument after monument. The highlight for Taylor was visiting the Lincoln Memorial.

He also received many messages and letters as part of the Honor Flight, including one from Hoosier Energy President and CEO Donna Walker.

“On behalf of Hoosier Energy, thank you for everything you have given to our nation and to the cooperative family,” she wrote. “We are proud to celebrate you.”