HONOR FLIGHT

 
                          BY WILLIAM JUNEAU

                   There are times when even a cynic like me has to step back and say, "That was a great day." 
                   Recently,  it was my good fortune to be among 100 military veterans who were hosted and saluted by Honor Flight Chicago on a one-day tour of war memorials in Washington D.C.                       There's no cost to the veterans, and every convenience is anticipated.  Maybe you are not up for a lot of walking around in the heat of August in DC.?  Not to worry, you have a volunteer companion at your side all day, and a wheelchair if needed. Luxury buses, guided by police escorts, take you from memorial to memorial. Meals are provided.
              And there is virtually no end to the accolades. Strangers
thank you for your service and shake your hand at every turn. The tributes were warm and emotional and unforgettable for the ex-servicemen. I was more moved than I thought possible.
              We took off from Midway Airport, where we rallied at 4 a.m., and set off for the nation's capital, after a round of cheers from a flag-waving crowd. 
               Honor Flight doesn't ignore any memorable detail of military life. We were all surprised by a Mail Call on the flight home, in which we were handed letters and cards from family and friends, public officials and other "notables"  thanking us for our long ago sacrifices.
            On our arrival back at Midway, we were greeted by more hoopla and a big surprise. Bag pipers led our group through a crowd of our own cheering family and friends, waving flags, and encouraged to show up by the local Honor Flight planners. 
           There were only three WWll vets, who are in their 90s by now, and a rather large contingent of Viet Nam vets, who were perhaps the most poorly treated by the public on their arrival home. There was a smaller group of Korean vets, and I fell into that category.
              Way back in the 1950s, I was a soldier in Korea. The armed conflict between the north and the south had come to an end with an armistice, but the post war tension was causing concern and GIs were put on alert on a number of bases in South Korea.  Me--I was in a Quonset hut in a base in Ouijonbu, just a few miles south of the demilitarized zone, and 30 miles from Seoul.  We were part of the eighth army known as I-Corps.                      
                     I walked guard duty on the post from time to time with my rifle slung over my shoulder and for most of the time I was accompanied by my faithful dog, Maggie, who helped watch for any interloper onto our base. 
                     We did not face combat, but we spent 16 months of our lives in a place we did not want to be. By our very presence, we kept the enemy from making incursions into the rest of the pennisula. Left behind was a new wife, and all the conveniences of American life. We lived in a hut warmed by a pot belly stove, we and used outhouses located a good distance from our shelter.  Showers were rigged up from pipes connected to a water tank, and hot water was just a memory.  
                     After 16 months of counting the days on my calendar,  I returned in one piece to the USA and was discharged.  With the army behind me, I found employment, had children and grandchildren and and my days as a soldier became a distant memory. 
                    That is, until Honor Flight Chicago, one of many such volunteer Honor Flight organizations nationwide, supported by donations and corporate sponsors, stepped up. 
                  They reminded us that what we did way back then was worthwhile, and deserving of the appreciation of a grateful nation.  Thank you, Honor Flight, for YOUR service.