Ready for Honor Flights
Two FH vets have flown, eight will make tripsBy BILL SHEA, Messenger staff writer
Article Photos
Friendship Haven will be well-represented among the thousands of veterans traveling to the national World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., as part of the Honor Flight program.
Two World War II veterans from the Fort Dodge retirement community have already made the trip.
Bob Pearson, a Navy veteran who also served in the Air Force during the Korean War, boarded one of the flights on Oct. 13.
Then on Nov. 4, Melvin Wile, an Army Air Corps veteran who became a prisoner of war after his B-24 Liberator bomber crashed in Germany, made the voyage.
Soon, eight more Friendship Haven residents will make the trip, including one husband and wife duo.
Warren Hanson served in the Army's 103rd Infantry Division. His wife, Mary Ann, was a nurse's aide at the San Diego Naval Hospital.
According to Warren Hanson, there's been an inter-service rivalry brewing in their home for the last 60 years.
Other Friendship Haven residents set to take an Honor Flight trip are:
Tom Engler, Navy
Tom Estlund, Navy, USS Admiral Rodman
Clyde Farmer, Army Air Corps, 120th Air and Airways Communications System
Ed Hughes, Army, 264th Field Artillery
Joe Jerome, Navy, Naval Mobile Hospital
Albert Knox, Army, 997th Signal Service Battalion
Ivan Ray, Marine Corps, 2nd Marine Division
They're in for an emotional trip, according to Pearson and Wile.
But the sight of the monument isn't likely to be the most moving thing, Pearson added. He said he was touched by the number of people who cheered them on their way to and from the Des Moines International Airport and the strangers who greeted them in Washington.
''You'd look out the window and there'd be people out there telling you thank you and waving flags,'' he said.
When Pearson and his fellow veterans returned to Des Moines late at night on Oct. 13, so many people crowded into the hotel lobby to meet them that there was no place to sit.
''I still think it was really worth going,'' Wile said. ''We seen a lot in a short time.''
During their trips, Wile and Pearson both received large envelopes filled with letters and drawings from school children.
''They're so patriotic in the way they write,'' Wile said.
Most of the veterans will be aboard the Honor Flight that will take off from Fort Dodge Regional Airport on May 1, 2010. They'll return home late that same day.
Estlund will fly from Sioux Falls, S.D. He said his group will stay overnight in Washington before returning home.
Estlund, who sailed on the troop carrier USS Admiral Rodman, will be the second member of his family to be part of an Honor Flight. His brother, Jack Estlund, of Centerville, Ohio, took such a trip about six months ago.
Jerome hasn't heard when he will be boarding an Honor Flight. He said he's seen the World War II Memorial before.
''I'd like to go back with my fellow vets and see it,'' he said.
Ray, who took part in the invasions of the Pacific islands of Saipan and Tinian, is also waiting to hear what flight he'll be on.
''I thought it would be quite an interesting day,'' he said. ''I heard a lot of people talking about it and thought I would like to go out and see it.''
Many of the Friendship Haven residents were encouraged to apply for a seat on an Honor Flight by friends and relatives.
''I had a lot of guys and gals pushing,'' said Warren Hanson.
Knox said the Honor Flight program is giving him a once in a lifetime opportunity.
''I didn't think I'd ever have a chance to go,'' he said.
While in the nation's capital, the veterans will see more than the World War II Memorial. They'll visit the memorials for the Korean and Vietnam wars, take a bus tour past other landmarks such as the Capitol and cross into Virginia to Arlington National Cemetery.
Farmer said the national cemetery will make ''the big impression.''
The Friendship Haven veterans are proud of their service, but they're no fans of war.
''I was on the front lines for six months,'' Hughes said. ''I know what war is. I don't recommend it.''
Pearson offered a blunter assessment.
''War is really stupid,'' he said.
Contact Bill Shea at (515) 573-2141 or bshea@messengernews.net
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hybernation
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11-22-09 5:11 PM
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That's so nice arangements are made so these vets can go!!
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