Passed Away In An Ambulance After Arriving At The Airport

At 91 years old, Walter Smith, a veteran of WWII, was looking forward to taking an honor flight to Washington DC to see the change of guard ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Four years ago, he had been diagnosed with colon cancer, and the trip from his home in Wisconsin to the nation's capital had been a motivation for him to work hard on his rehabilitation, according to his family.

He almost made it. 

Fox News relays a report from JSOonline.com that Smith passed away shortly before he was to have boarded the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight to Washington.

According to the report, Smith was on his way to the airport the morning of June 8, when he got quiet in the car. His family said they thought he had fallen asleep. But when they arrived at the airport, they were unable to wake him. He officially died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital from the airport.

The report did not say in which branch of the service Smith served, but he did win two Purple Hearts during his time of service.

On the next Honor Flight in September, the American flag which will be draped over Smith's casket will be taken to Arlington in his memory.

FMI: http://starsandstripeshonorflight.org