Providence College alumni, staff, and ROTC cadets join Honor Flight Justice
Providence College alumni, staff, and ROTC cadets join Honor Flight Justice
By Vicki-Ann Downing ’21G
Thanks to the generosity of George D. Mason ’84 and his wife, Jeanne LaFazia, more than 130 veterans traveled to Washington, D.C., in September as part of Honor Flight Justice. They visited war memorials and Arlington National Cemetery and were accompanied by volunteers who included college staff members and alumni.
It was the 33rd Honor Flight organized by the Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honors Flight Hub, chaired by George Farrell, retired fire chief for the city of Providence.
Mason, deputy administrator of the Rhode Island Workers’ Compensation Court, and LaFazia, chief judge of Rhode Island District Court, sponsored the flight in memory of her late father, Raymond A. LaFazia, a member of the 15th Air Force, 455th Bomb Group, 743rd Squadron.
The couple also sought to recognize the staff, mentors, and participants of the Rhode Island Veterans Treatment Court, which was founded 15 years ago by Chief Judge LaFazia. The first of its kind in New England, the court provides a restorative “Path to Justice” for veterans who enter the criminal justice system as a result of trauma resulting from their experiences and sacrifices in military service.
“Jeanne and I would not be who or where we are in life were it not for the heroic sacrifices that our parents, three of whom were veterans, and their brothers and sisters in arms made and continue to make,” Mason said. “It is for those reasons that we were more than honored to be able to sponsor Honor Flight Justice and share that experience with our PC family.”
Each of the 130 veterans was matched with a volunteer guardian who accompanied him on the Honor Flight and throughout the day. Nancy Kelley ’05SCE, senior executive assistant in the president’s office and a Marine Corps veteran, and Greg Waldron, senior vice president for institutional advancement, both accompanied veterans. Rev. James Cuddy, O.P. ’98, a Marine Corps chaplain and pastor of St. Denis Parish in Hanover, New Hampshire, serving Dartmouth College, was the Honor Flight’s chaplain.
“It was a definite dream of a lifetime for me,” Kelley said. “Taking part in an Honor Flight had been on my bucket list forever.”
The volunteers attended an orientation and training session during the summer and arranged to meet their assigned veterans to build relationships before the trip. Kelley accompanied Edward DelSignore, a 78-year-old Vietnam veteran from East Providence, Rhode Island, who had a career with Stop & Shop and gave her the gift of a Marine Corps cap. Waldron was paired with Walter E. Smith ’69, from Bristol, Rhode Island, also a Vietnam veteran and a retired Providence teacher.
Honor Flight Justice began at 5:30 a.m. on September 27, 2025, when World War II Navy veteran William McClintick led the procession into the terminal at T.F. Green Airport. He was followed by five Korean War veterans, 65 Vietnam veterans, including former Superior Court judge Francis J. Darigan, J.D. ’64, ’14Hon., and the volunteer guardians.
The group was escorted by the ROTC Patriot Battalion Color Guard from PC, including Paul Cronin ’26 and Delia Fritz ’27, and Rhode Island Professional Firefighters Pipes and Drums, whose members include Charles Stimpson, PC emergency medical services supervisor. Family, friends, police officers, firefighters, and local officials joined the send-off.
After arriving in Baltimore, the group boarded three coaches to travel to Washington to visit the National World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and other significant sites.
The emotional high point came at Arlington National Cemetery, where the group witnessed the solemn Changing of the Guard and participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The special tribute was led by the 106-year-old McClintock, who walked forward to lay the wreath; 93-year-old Korean War veteran John McDonough; 73-year-old Vietnam veteran Charles Vieira; and Chief Judge LaFazia.
Another high point was “mail call” at the dinner that followed the day’s activities. Volunteer guardians had arranged for messages of thanks to be written to each veteran so that each was handed a package of mail at the dinner. Kelley, a veteran, was stunned to discover that one had been prepared for her as well.
“It was a wonderful day and just so befitting for someone like him who didn’t return home from Vietnam to praise, or thank yous, or any kind of personal touch,” Kelley said. “To be treated with such dignity, grace, and respect I think checked a box for all the veterans. I will never forget it. It was very, very special.”
Waldron arranged a special tribute for Smith. He had John O’Hurley ’76, ’06Hon. record a video greeting from J. Peterman, the character O’Hurley played on the television series Seinfeld.
At Arlington National Cemetery, Smith wanted to find the grave of his former battalion commander, Henry Glenn Watson, which he had mapped ahead of time. When Waldron and Smith arrived at the grave, they discovered it was in front of the marker for General Walter Bedell Smith, Eisenhower’s chief of staff during World War II. Smith remembered when he was a boy at St. Pius School, the priest used to call him “Walter Bedell Smith” because of the famous general with the same name.
“Listening to Wally’s experiences as a veteran was awe-inspiring,” Waldron said. “The whole day was very well-run. The planning was flawless. It was an awesome experience.”
Mason expressed appreciation to Lieutenant Colonel Travis Haigler, professor of military science at PC, and Captain Jake A. Pare, assistant professor of military science, for facilitating participation of ROTC Color Guard. He also thanked Donna Cairo, administrative assistant for military science, and Andrea Krupp, director of planned giving at PC, for helping to invite more than 259 Vietnam-era alumni veterans and their guardians.
