MOHAVE COUNTY, Ariz. – Six Mohave County veterans will soon join more than 60 Korean and Vietnam War veterans on the Southern Nevada Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.—a journey designed to give long‑overdue recognition to men who served in America’s most divisive and often forgotten conflicts.
The Southern Nevada hub is one of nearly 130 Honor Flight chapters nationwide, all part of a movement that began in May 2005 when six volunteer pilots flew 12 World War II veterans from Ohio to the newly completed WWII Memorial. That small act of gratitude, led by retired Air Force captain Earl Morse, has grown into a national network that has flown more than 244,000 veterans to date.
Mohave County’s group represents a wide span of service, experience, and personal history.
Bob Davis of Lake Havasu City (Pix in Air Force uniform) served in the U.S. Air Force from 1962 to 1966 as a civil engineer, spending most of his tour at SAC Headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base. Asked early on whether he preferred Viet Nam or Alaska, Davis chose Alaska—“I’ve always wanted to see it,” he said—a decision that shaped his entire Air Force career. After the service he worked as a high‑voltage lineman while raising five children, later welcoming a growing family of grandchildren and great‑grandchildren.Don Wood of Bullhead City (Pix left Don, center, at Da Nang, Viet Nam, Pix right recent with wife) enlisted as a Navy Sea Bee from 1964–68, serving in heavy‑duty construction through two tours in Viet Nam and another in Alaska. “I enjoyed it all, even with bullets flying while we worked,” he said. After the service he became a mechanic for an international equipment company.Dr. Don Nelson of Lake Havasu City (Pix with colleagues at Havasu Medical Center) was drafted in 1965 immediately after completing medical school and his internship. He entered the Air Force and was assigned to the Army as a flight surgeon, serving with Special Forces in Viet Nam. After the war, he practiced in Illinois and Wisconsin before being recruited to Lake Havasu City in 1971 by Robert McCulloch. With no local hospital until 1973, Nelson drove nearly 60,000 miles a year covering operations in Kingman and Needles. Retired after 44 years with Havasu Medical Center.Harold “Hal” Shaffer of Lake Havasu City (Pix left in uniform, Pix right recent) enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 18 and served from 1962 to 1966 in shipboard electronics aboard destroyers including the USS Marshall and USS Malaney. Never married, Shaffer devoted much of his civilian life to mentoring youth through the Boy Scouts in Redondo Beach, California, shaping countless young lives.Wayne Glover of Kingman (Pix left Army uniform, Pix wife wife) served 20 years in the U.S. Army from 1957 to 1977, beginning as an enlisted rifleman before earning his commission through Officers Candidate School—a path that made him a proud “Mustang.” He served with the 4th Infantry Division, completed two tours in Viet Nam, and spent his second tour in Saigon as a security officer briefing senior commanders. After retiring, he worked as an engineer for Ogden City, Utah’s building department. Glover has four children, ten grandchildren, and three great‑grandchildren.
The sixth veteran on this flight is Francis “Frank” Fortune of Golden Valley.
Honor Flight Southern Nevada accepts World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans from Nevada and nearby regions of Arizona and Utah.
The Honor Flight Network has provided the ‘no cost’ flights to over 244,000 veterans to Washington, D.C. since its founding, providing a powerful day of remembrance, healing, and gratitude — often described by veterans as one of the best days of their lives. Applications can be submitted at honorflightsouthernnevada.org.
