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While there were no local World War II veterans on the initial trip organized by Honor Flight Northeast Indiana, Wells County was still represented on the trip Wednesday to Washington DC.
Carla DeKoninck of rural Ossian became involved in helping to organize the flight and then served as a volunteer; Jeff Lemler, after hearing about the program, contacted organizer Laura Carrico and became a volunteer “guardian” on the trip; Tom Hart and I, both of Bluffton, accompanied their fathers who had served during the war.
“It was an awesome day,” Lemler said. “I was truly honored to be a part of this and I hope to be able to do it again.”
As a volunteer “guardian,” Lemler was assigned to assist a specific veteran for the day. He accompanied Milford Lawhun of Fort Wayne, whose health restricted him to a wheelchair. Both he and Hart, who accompanied his father, Marvin Hart of Geneva, were moved by the number of people who approached the veterans to offer their thanks.
As the group of 27 veterans from northeast Indiana gathered for a group photo at the memorial’s south entrance, a large group of students offered a round of applause and then approached the men to shake their hands.
“I actually got a little emotional a couple times,” Hart admitted. “We had some kids come up and give dad a hug. I was just thrilled to death to be there.”
Honor Flights is a national non-profit organization whose purpose is to take World War II veterans to Washington to visit the relatively new memorial. (It was dedicated in May of 2004, nearly 60 years after the war ended.) Veterans go at no cost. Expenses are covered by donations and the volunteer guardians who accompany the veterans and pay their own way.
Carrico, a Fort Wayne resident, heard about the group while she was trying to arrange to take her father to the site in order to thank him, she recalled. Though thrilled to learn of the Honor Flight organization, she quickly realized there was still a problem. Honor Flights are organized by volunteers from various parts of the country. At that time there was none for northern Indiana. So Carrico recruited her sister and a friend, Tiffani Miller, to get things organized.
“As things progressed, once people heard about what we were doing, others came forward that I didn’t have to beg,” Carrico joked. She now has what she called a “great core” of about 10 people who helped her organize Wednesday’s trip.
One of those is DeKoninck, who downplayed her role in the project. “I just volunteered for the day and I also helped Laura,” she said, with what they agreed is a “mountain of details.” But the day turned out to be a very special occasion, she said.
The charter flight with 54 on board arrived at Dulles International at 9 a.m. Just as two fire trucks at the Fort Wayne airport sent the flight off with a “water cannon salute,” there were two fire trucks in Washington to welcome them. There was also a small cadre of people who welcomed the flight at the charter company’s building, waving flags and applauding the group.
“We take turns coming out to meet each flight,” one of the members said, who was wearing a T-shirt that identified them as the “Honor Flight Network.”
The group spent about two hours at the World War II Memorial and also visited the Korean War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Marine Memorial and observed a changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
While posing for another group picture at the Marine Memorial that commemorates the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima, another school outing group organized a cheer: “Hip, hip hooray! Thank you World War II veterans!”
“It was really neat to see that,” Lemler said, “and to be able to spend time with those guys.”
He actually spent more time than others. By the time the group arrived at the Lincoln Memorial in the afternoon, about a half-dozen of the veterans chose to stay in the bus to rest, including the veteran Lemler was assigned to. “They were a bit tired,” he said. “But we got to chat and reminisce with a couple. It was a great time.”
Marvin Hart, 84 served in the Pacific theatre, mostly with a military police unit. He came back to his home in Geneva after the war and worked at Dunbar Furniture and then worked at Franklin Electric in Bluffton for 14 years before retiring.
My father, Fuhrman Miller of Decatur, just turned 90 in February. He was an operations sergeant in an air corps unit that flew B-24 bombers in Europe. After his return, he went to school on the G.I. Bill and became an ordained minister, retiring from full-time ministry in the United Methodist denomination in 1987. Since the group was wearing T-shirts and hats that identified them as veterans, it was quite common during the day that people would stop him to thank him for his service and inquire where he served. Two of the people who asked about his service were a couple who had grown up in East Germany.
Like Lemler, Tom Hart would like to do it again. “I told Laura that I would have gladly paid twice what it cost me to go along, and that if she needs some guardians next time to give me a call,” he said.
Carrico is planning for a second flight from this area in the fall. Veterans who would like to go can contact her to get on the list. Volunteers to help organize are still welcome as well as volunteers to accompany the group.
She also emphasized that overall donations are needed as well.
Carrico can be contacted at 260-432-8854 or at honorflight.nei@verizon.net.
Getting this first flight under their belts was significant, Carrico said. “Others will realize now that this is for real,” she said.
This initial flight was made possible in large part due to a donation from the DePuy Companies and from the Zwick & Jahn Funeral Home in Decatur, as a large portion of the first group was from Decatur.
miller@news-banner.com
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