The sixth mission for Honor Flight Chicago in 2019 took place last week, and it was another memorable day in our nation’s capital. This time we brought six World War II, 20 Korean War and 77 Vietnam War veterans for a total of 103 on the plane.
During his service in Vietnam early on during the war, Thomas Zilla had occasion to put his Boy Scout first-aid training to use to help treat a fellow soldier following an attack.
Bill Ziegler remembers when he realized that Vietnam would be an “alternate reality.” In May of 1969, Bill arrived in country as an Artillery Section Chief, and he was being shot at before he could even get off the plane.
“I know what it’s like to be shot at and missed.” That’s how Bill Siska described part of his experience in the U.S. Navy stationed in Nha Be, Vietnam.
When his initial assignment in Vietnam proved to be too slow for his liking, Buzz Hunt volunteered for a company that conducted patrols to safeguard "Hotel 1," a job he did for 10 months.
Esther Gleaton convinced her parents to let her join the Army so she could see the world, ending up with an extended tour of Vietnam.
Early in life, Clelia Ginay experienced a great deal of misfortune, but she persevered. She said “My life started when I joined the Navy.”
John "Gene" Craig was a crypto officer aboard the USS Mississippi when it was decommissioned, making him responsible for destroying all classified material on the ship.
During Phillips Cirullo's time in the Navy, he served aboard three different vessels. The majority of his time came on the brand new USS Enterprise, the first-ever nuclear powered aircraft carrier.
After four years of active duty in the Navy beginning in 1963, Thomas Chambers went on to serve 29 more as a member of the Reserves.
On August 7, 1969, Corpsman Richard Campbell's medical training, and valor, rose to the occasion.
Terry Cable's tour of duty in Vietnam included time aboard the USS Satyr, a vessel equipped to repair the boats that patrolled Vietnam’s rivers and canals.