Dedicated Honor Flight ambassador and veteran turns 100-years-old

Local Marine Corps veteran turns 100

FOX 13 Photojournalist Barry Wong highlights O?Neil Ducharme, a Bay Area veteran who served 40 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, as he celebrates his 100th birthday surrounded by friends and family.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. - As he celebrates his 100th birthday, veteran O’Neil Ducharme says the key is to like what you are doing.

Ducharme served nearly 40 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, now he serves fellow veterans as a volunteer and ambassador for Honor Flight of West Central Florida (HFWCF).

The non-profit’s mission is to transport America's veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials dedicated to honoring their service and sacrifices.

"The joy that I have is when I sign up a veteran to go or a guardian," Ducharme said.

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The backstory:

Ducharme participated in Honor Flight at a pivotal moment in his life nine years ago. His wife of nearly 70 years, Patricia, passed away in February 2016.

"I was in the dumps, a little depressed, and then my best friend of 25 years came over. My son happened to be there with a sheet of paper and said fill it out," Ducharme said.

The application was for the HFWCF’s 25th mission. In April 2016, he flew to Washington D.C. with 74 other veterans.

"By the time I got off that plane, I was not the same as when I went on the plane," Ducharme said. "The airport was filled with people, and it was so emotional that the front of me was soaking wet."

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The experience inspired Ducharme to volunteer for Honor Flight full-time. He’s participated in all 26 missions since then, attending every orientation, departure and welcome home.

"Every veteran that comes into orientation will run into me first, and when they leave at night, they'll run into me going home. That's gratifying," he said.

His dedication has earned him the title of HFWCF’s first ambassador. He loves knowing the experience his fellow veterans will have during their flights.

"We'll give them a welcome home that they never received and ask them, did you have a good time?" Ducharme said. "They’ll tell what I said after my first trip, it was probably the best day in my life."

What you can do:

To sign up or to learn more about Honor Flight, you can visit their website.

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The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Barry Wong.

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