Honoring the Greatest Generation at Greenspring

A special documentary screening was held at the retirement community in Springfield for Military Appreciation Month

(Springfield, Va.) - Nearly 200 residents and prospective residents attended a special screening of Honor Flight: One Last Mission at Greenspring on Friday, May 17.  The event was held to commemorate Military Appreciation Month and Armed Forces Week in honor of the many veterans who call Greenspring home.  The producer of the Honor Flight documentary, Clay Broga, joined the community for the event to share some insight on the making of the film and to answer questions from the audience.

The Honor Flight documentary follows the story of a Midwest community that comes together to help World War II veterans visit the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.  The documentary first premiered in August 2012 to a crowd of 28,422 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, which broke a Guinness World Record for the largest attendance at a film screening.  

Greenspring was an ideal location for a special screening of Honor Flight; the community is home to hundreds of veterans who served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.  Recognizing Greenspring’s close proximity to Washington, D.C., nearly two dozen World War II veterans from Greenspring traveled together to the National World War II Memorial in December 2012.  The veterans were interviewed for the “Meet the Veterans” video project organized through the Friends of the National World War II Memorial organization.  There, many of the veterans experienced an opportunity to really tell their story.  “I realized that I hadn’t really sat down with my kids, my grandkids, or even my wife, and shared much of what I experienced during the war,” said Greenspring resident and World War II veteran, Eck Muessig.  Muessig, who also attended the Honor Flight premiere at Greenspring, fulfilled one of the goals emphasized throughout the Honor Flight film – the importance of capturing the memories of World War II veterans, who are the “absolute heroes”. 

Broga, who introduced the film and answered some questions from the audience, stressed the impact the film has had on his life.  “Like so many in my generation, I took a lot for granted,” said Broga.  “After hearing these World War II veterans’ stories, that was put in perspective.”