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Six Veterans. One Trip They’ll Never Forget
Their reflections on visiting Washington, D.C., and what it means to be honored through Wish of a Lifetime from AARP’s Journey of Heroes
5-minute read
From left to right: Pat Schauer, Bert Hoeflich, Jerry Van Tassel, Tom Baker, Corkey Langley, and Bill Middleton
AARP (Wish of A Lifetime, 6; Getty Images, 1)
Key takeaways
- Journey of Heroes marked its 10th excursion in 2026 and has served 130 veterans since 2013.
- Veterans found recognition and connection at memorials and among fellow veterans.
- Personal moments renewed pride, eased isolation and affirmed that their service mattered.
For more than a decade, Journey of Heroes has brought older veterans from the Pacific Northwest together for recognition, remembrance and connection. Organized by Wish of a Lifetime from AARP in collaboration with the Vital Life Foundation, the program culminates in a four-day gathering in Washington, D.C., where veterans and their companions visit military memorials, exchange stories and build relationships with others who have served.
Journey of Heroes marked its 10th experience in 2026, celebrating the 130 veterans who have participated in the program since it began in 2013.
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The six veterans featured here traveled to Washington through Journey of Heroes, but the experience meant more than visiting national landmarks. At military memorials and in conversations with fellow veterans, they found recognition, formed new friendships and received affirmation that their service and sacrifices had not been forgotten.
Bert Hoeflich
Courtesy of Wish of a Lifetime
Bert Hoeflich, 103: Navy, World War II
Bert Hoeflich of Portland, Oregon, served in the Navy during World War II, using his medical training aboard a destroyer minesweeper and later in naval hospitals. His two daughters accompanied him on the journey to Washington.
At the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Hoeflich found the name of a fraternity brother who had served as a pilot. “I think that really touched me, having known him personally,” he said.
He also connected with the lone sailor depicted at the United States Navy Memorial, right down to the bag slung over the figure’s shoulder. “I had one too,” he said. “Somehow that touched me quite a bit.”
He added, “My time in Washington, D.C., was a perfect trip from start to finish.”
Bill Middleton and Wife Margaret.
Courtesy of Wish of a Lifetime
Bill Middleton, 76: Coast Guard and Army Reserve, Afghanistan, Germany, Iraq and Guantánamo
Bill Middleton of Sherwood, Oregon, began his military career in the Coast Guard before transitioning to the Army Reserve. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he deployed as a military police officer and interrogator, ultimately completing 37 years of service.
Journey of Heroes gave Middleton and his wife the opportunity to visit military landmarks together. The World War II Memorial made the deepest impression. “It is hard to imagine the sacrifice that so many went through to keep our country free,” he said.
The reception the veterans received during the trip also stayed with him. “Sometimes we don’t feel we are remembered for what we have done,” he said. “I could not believe the response we got from the public when we were introduced. It was a true feel-good moment.”
Corkey Langley
Courtesy of Wish of a Lifetime
Corkey Langley, 76: Navy, Vietnam War
Corkey Langley of Shingletown, California, enlisted in the Navy before turning 18 and served two tours in Vietnam as a hospital corpsman, earning two Purple Hearts. He later became a nurse by using the GI Bill and built a career caring for others.
“The Journey of Heroes trip for me was far more than I’d anticipated,” Langley said. It showed him “that others had experienced the same thing I had and, more importantly, that people did care about the sacrifices that were made.”
At the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Langley found the name of his mother’s twin brother, who died in the war when Langley was a small child. “To find his name was another reminder that he wasn’t forgotten,” he said. That discovery, and the connections he formed with other veterans, gave him much to reflect upon after returning home.
Jerry Van Tassel
Courtesy of Wish of a Lifetime
Jerry Van Tassel, 70: Navy
Jerry Van Tassel of Canby, Oregon, served for six years as an electrical technician aboard Navy submarines. Although his service took him to several countries, he had never visited Washington, D.C.
“Seeing the monuments firsthand that I had only seen on television was awe-inspiring,” he said.
Two memorials made the journey especially meaningful for Van Tassel. He was moved by the flag-raising depicted at the Marine Corps War Memorial and found his cousin’s name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Seeing the monuments in person and having young people thank him for his service, he said, brought out a renewed sense of pride in his years in the Navy.
When the group returned home, police officers and firefighters lined up while people applauded, cheered and saluted. “We’ll never forget it,” he said.
Pat Schauer
Courtesy of Wish of a Lifetime
Pat Schauer, 75: Army, Vietnam War
Pat Schauer of Canby, Oregon, enlisted in the Army at 18 and served two tours in Vietnam as an aviation mechanic. Journey of Heroes fulfilled a wish he had once shared with his older brother, a fellow Vietnam veteran who died before they could make the journey together. Visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial “hit me pretty hard,” Schauer said. Yet the moment he most often recounts is an act of care on a cold, damp day, when Journey of Heroes support staff brought blankets to help keep the veterans warm.
“This one example would probably look small to everyone else, but it’s huge to me,” he said. “Every time someone asks me how our trip was, I make sure I tell them about the blankets. That will stay with me forever.”
Tom Baker, 71: Marine Corps, Gulf War
Tom Baker
Courtesy of Wish of a Lifetime
Tom Baker of Willamina, Oregon, served 20 years in the Marine Corps, including during the Gulf War. His father served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, which shaped how Baker experienced the military memorials in Washington.
The Marine Corps War Memorial “brought back the Marine in me that faded with time,” he said, while the World War II Memorial connected him with his father’s legacy.
Asked what the journey meant to him, Baker said the biggest gift was connecting with other veterans and feeling less alone. The program also let him bring along his best friend of 57 years, an Air Force veteran, and while in Washington he had an impromptu reunion with his son and got to meet his grandson face-to-face for the first time.
Since returning home, Baker said, he has found a sense of peace that had long eluded him. “I had no idea how much this would change and heal me. I don’t think I realized how broken I was.”
Baker’s wife has noticed the shift too, he said, telling him he smiles and laughs more. She jokes that while she doesn’t know exactly what the trip did to him, she is thinking about sending him back.
The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.
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