GORHAM, Maine — If you drive through downtown Westbrook into Gorham, you'll notice a few farms along busy Route 25.
The Mosher family farm has been on the corner of, appropriately named, Mosher Road and Main Street since the 1770s. Albert Mosher Jr. still lives on the property and, at age 96, he still works on the farm where he sells up to 10,000 bales of hay for horses, goats, and other animals.
This spring, he was set to go on the Honor Flight Maine trip in May with other veterans from across the state. But, Albert said he still had work to do on the farm and therefore couldn't go.
In October, Albert went with his younger brother, 92-year-old Abbott, to Washington D.C. Abbott's son and family friend Timothy Profenno went along with them as their guardians.
"To be honored in that way to help [Albert] out, I thought it would be a wonderful experience," Profenno said. ‘Its organized well and they honor [the veterans] very well".
The Mosher family has a long history of military service. Abbott said he learned that a relative left Maine to defend our nation's capitol during the Civil War. The two brothers were around high school age when the United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor, and the Moshers remember listening to President Franklin Roosevelt address the nation in 1941.
“I remember where I was sitting and not realizing what was going to happen, and some of our neighbors ended up being killed on some of the islands over there," Abbott said. “We were exposed to that growing up, and we just thought it was more or less normal. So, both of us carried selective service cards and were expected to go in the drat".
The two were never drafted, but they later joined the Army.
Albert served as a Cold War radio operator after he graduated college, before getting married and having a son. He said he wasn't drafted because someone with the draft board knew their family farm had the only combine harvester in Cumberland County. Albert said he was told he was more valuable staying in Maine working on the farm and helping other families.
When Abbott was in college, he joined the ROTC to prepare if he was drafted. He later joined the Army and served as an ordinance officer for nearly eight years during Vietnam. He ended his service at the reserve base in Saco.
“And I think one of the things that was special about Honor Flight was it put a capstone on my military career," Abbott added.
Reflecting on their Honor Flight Maine trip, the brothers said they liked meeting and interacting with fellow Maine veterans and active service members.
"I think that brought back some emotional strings that had kind of faded into the background, and so it was really special to meet all the folks that were there," Abbott explained.
Albert said he was honored to be selected to lay a wreathe at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider and added that he was glad he got the opportunity to go on the trip.
All proceeds benefit Honor Flight Maine's travel costs and care for veterans who will make their way to Washington D.C. to tour the memorials, reflect, heal, and pay tribute to their fallen comrades.
First priority is given to the frailest veterans, terminally ill veterans of all conflicts, and World War II survivors. Veterans who served in the Korean and Vietnam wars are also transported on a first-come, first-served, space-available basis.
If you know any veterans interested in making the trip, encourage them to apply through Honor Flight Maine's veteran application process on their website. Volunteers and guardians are also needed and welcome to apply to the organization.