Joe Steiner, who served as Shawn’s guardian,
said it truly was an honor to accompany him
on the trip. when it came time to convert his golf cart
into a helicopter, he said there was no ques-
tion that it would be a Cobra Gunship.
“It was a privilege to stand behind him,” said
the Village of Fenney resident. “He is a great
man, humble and such a nice person. It was a
great experience.” “The Cobra was the gunship that everybody
knew,” he said. “It was the world’s first true
attack helicopter. You could bring a lot of fire-
power on the enemy. I’m sure it struck fear in
the hearts of the (Viet Cong) over there.
Shawn, who earned
two Purple Hearts,
spent about 13
months building
the specialized cart
and got a close look
at a restored Cobra
that was on display
when the traveling
Vietnam Wall vis-
ited the Lady Lake
soccer fields last
November. He then
unveiled the spe-
cialized cart earlier
this year and it de-
buted in the St. Pat-
rick’s Day Parade
in Spanish Springs
Town Square this
past March.
Debbie Diroff, a longtime Honor Flight volun-
teer who served as one of the directors on
the trip, agreed. She met Shawn for the first
time on Wednesday and said she’s sure they
will remain friends going forward.
“I will stay in touch with him,” she said. “He’s
really a special person. I think the world of
him, and it just made my day even more spe-
cial.”
Shawn spent 28 years of his military career
flying a variety of helicopters, including the
Huey transport and gunship models; two
observation helicopters, the OH-13 and OH-
23G; and Cobra Gunships, among others. But
“I think once you’ve
flown helicopters for 28 years, it’s just a part
of you,” he said. “It’s kind of in your blood.”
Villages Honor Flight serves Central Florida
veterans from Citrus, Lake, Marion, Putnam
and Sumter Counties. Each veteran has a
volunteer guardian to assist him/her. The trip
is free for veterans; guardians and staff pay
their own way. The organization has flown
more than 1,400 veterans since the first flight
in May 2012.
The next Villages Honor Flight will take place
on Oct. 30. A flightless event also will be held
on Nov. 23.
NOVEMBER 2019
33