Take a look back at some of the highlights and hear from veterans from Honor Flight Chicago's April 11, 2018 flight, the first of the season and first of the organization's second decade.
Don Arseneau waited four years to fly with Honor Flight Chicago. He was forced to cancel on three different occasions because of illness. He was finally ready to receive his day of honor when the unthinkable happened.
On April 11, 99 Chicago-area WWII and Korean War veterans will travel with Honor Flight Chicago to Washington, D.C., for a once-in-a-lifetime day of honor at their national war memorials. These heroic men and women will be the beneficiaries of a special partnership with Popeyes® Chicagoland Co-op.
John Martin was a driver for a battalion commander and platoon leader during the Korean War. His brother served in WWII at the Battle of the Bulge.
Gene’s job in South Korea was to drive diesel locomotives hauling train cars of ammunition, food, K rations and other supplies. The U.S. Army used the Korean rail system, but the train engines were diesel locomotives brought over from the United States.
Bill Howland was a POW during World War II. He estimates there were approximately 300 POWs in his group. About two weeks before the war ended, Bill escaped in part by hiding in a barn in a pile of hay.
Jerome Adler enlisted in the Army, much to the chagrin of his parents. Jerry remarked that his enlistment was motivated in part by the battlefield death of a childhood friend in Korea during the first year of that war.
Jim enlisted in September, 1946 with four buddies from his neighborhood gang, the “Parkside Maulers.” They all had the idea of using the GI Bill after their service.
When the Marine Corps asked for soldiers to volunteer to fight in Korea, Bill stepped forward. He and approximately 5,000 other Marines boarded a Merchant Marine vessel and headed to Korea.
Gerald comes from a family deeply rooted in “answering the call for military duty.” Gerald’s father and uncles all fought in France during World War I and his older brother fought in Europe during WWII.