Connected by service: Delta veteran volunteers as caregiver to World War II hero

For the past four years, Delta has proudly partnered with the Best Defense Foundation to charter flights directly to Normandy, France—returning World War II veterans to the very place where history was made and freedom was defended. The mission of the Normandy Legacy Flight program is to connect the Greatest Generation with younger ones so their courage, sacrifice and stories are never forgotten. 

Many of these veterans are now over 100 years old. To ensure they can safely make the journey, each is paired with a volunteer caregiver who provides round-the-clock support for everything from getting out of bed in the morning to serving them dinner in the evening. It’s a role rooted in service, compassion and deep respect.  

This year, one of the caregivers on the program was First Officer and Army veteran Craig Graves. Craig served as caregiver to SMSgt Thomas Garner, or Tom, a 101-year-old World War II veteran who served 31 years in the U.S. Air Force (formerly the Army Air Corps). 

“Tom is incredible.  He is as sweet and sharp as ever,” said Craig. “We clicked right away.” 

For nine days, Craig and Tom were inseparable, attending ceremonies, parades and speaking engagements honoring the veterans. Tom and the 22 other veterans were greeted across Normandy with standing ovations, waving American flags and heartfelt words of gratitude from people of all ages. At one point, a French child handed Tom a hand-drawn card addressed to him.

“The Best Defense Foundation takes caregiving very seriously,” said Craig. “Their top priority is making sure these heroes are safe, cared for and honored every step of the way. It’s about more than logistics—it’s about giving them an experience of a lifetime.” 

For Craig, the experience was a deeply personal one as both of his grandfathers served in World War II. One was a B-17 flight engineer based in England, while the other landed on Omaha Beach and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. But like many, Craig didn’t get the opportunity to ask about their service. 

“I knew they served, but I only knew them as loving grandparents. I never got to ask them what it was like,” he said. “Walking the same beach my grandfather landed on was incredibly emotional.”

The impact of the program goes both ways. At the end of the program, Tom got emotional and said he wished he could take Craig home with him. Tom’s daughter also shared with Craig that he looked ten years younger and that she hadn’t seen him laugh and smile like that in a long time.

With fewer and fewer World War II veterans alive to tell their stories, Craig knows how vital it is to preserve their voices. Throughout the trip, he took advantage of learning from living history, asking many of the questions he wished he could have asked his own grandparents and filling in some of the blanks he had long wondered about. 

Craig leaves this program with a forever friend in Tom and a new mission. “I want to build on the foundation these veterans laid and to make sure the world never forgets what they gave us,” he said.  

Purpose

A legacy lives on: How the next generation honors the heroes who came before

Delta is proud to continue its Normandy Legacy Flight, supporting the program that flies World War II veterans and students back to Normandy, France to commemorate the anniversary of D-Day.