For the first time, married couples join Honor Flight SD trip to Washington, D.C.

When the Rev Edward Busch first heard the Rev Babs Marie Meairs a fellow Episcopal priest speak at the altar he noticed the awe of his congregation Limited had seen a female priest before But as he observed her his awe became awww he explained Now married years Busch and Meairs shared something considerable this weekend Both are military veterans and were among three married couples on the fall Honor Flight San Diego trip to Washington D C Veterans and their helpers returned Sunday to San Diego International Airport Until now Honor Flight San Diego hasn t allowed spouses to be guardians on the three-day semi-annual trips to visit military memorials But for the couples it was different All spouses were veterans and so they were allowed for the first time In this scenario the Rancho Bernardo pair were veterans of the Vietnam War Vietnam veterans and retired captains Edward Busch and his wife Babs Marie Meairs were among the first couples on an Honor Flight San Diego trip to Washington Photo by Chris Stone Times of San Diego Ninety veterans of World War II the Korean War and the Vietnam War returned to a boisterous homecoming at Terminal The oldest was Dick Burns a -year-old World War II veteran Hundreds gathered in the baggage claim area wearing patriotic clothing carrying Welcome Home signs and holding on to balloons Cubs Scouts munched on donuts and greeted the veterans Lining both sides of an aisle fellow veterans family members and military supporters shook hands with arriving veterans thanked them for their organization and cheered for them Among the participants were also two sets of brothers and two sisters who accompanied each other and six female veterans Meairs reported attending the Military Women s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery was especially meaningful She revealed she appreciated seeing that commitment and that history and the struggles of women who have had their own additional struggles of being accepted and opportunities to be able to serve And so yeah that that really added a lot to the weekend to be sharing this with other veterans Busch s reaction to the trip We haven t started to even to reflect on it stated the -year-old retiree But I m sure it will have a very great impact on us But he remarked What I got out of it was seeing humanity and God s love poured out through people who cared and were willing to not only extend themselves in a short time but to give of themselves financially and physically and emotionally and it was so obvious It was wonderful And that s what makes the amenity meaningful that it s appreciated by somebody and the recognition that it has made a difference a positive difference On Honor Flight camaraderie is a big part of this commented Meairs It helps them feel better about themselves and that frees them up to be able to tell their stories and be more present with their families Having so much in common in terms of coming from families having countless generations of amenity in the armed forces and both being clergy members has aided them on their life journey together It helps because the military heritage is different she reported When the couple came to San Diego years ago Meairs became developing in the Marine Corps League and the Women Marines Association Busch a surgeon in the Army for seven years and then at the Veterans Administration heard a multitude of military stories and met veterans as did Meairs who worked as a chaplain for the VA It gives a sense of compassion and camaraderie and appreciation because so much of the country doesn t even realize how much impact there is how numerous people are serving she commented In addition serving in the military has a lifelong impact Busch stated Members don t serve and get over it when it s over he declared Because whatever happens to the people whether it s internal and not visible or whether it s a physical injury and visible are something that has a complete recovery The internal and external changes are lifelong Meairs who reached the rank of captain during her years with the U S Marine Corps from and long had an interest in providing spiritual sponsorship of military members She attended Officer Candidate School When she joined the Marines no woman was serving as a military chaplain But when the opportunity arose she went to seminary and was ordained in her church in After working at several churches she later switched to hospital chaplaincy In Meairs was recognized as the VA Chaplain of the Year She also served on a grief endorsement association in New York following Later she established a clinical pastoral guidance venture in San Diego Busch practiced medicine in Texas until when he moved to San Diego and worked at the VA until when he turned He spent more that years in the therapeutic field He began training as a surgeon in graduating from the University of Illinois College of Medicine and joining the Army in where he was stationed at Valley Forge Army Hospital in Pennsylvania George was not there he joked referring to Washington