Imagine the surprise reaction to the draft letter Tom received upon returning from his honeymoon. With little hesitation, Tom enlisted in the Navy. Not wanting to serve on land in Vietnam, along with his interest in flying and ships, choosing the Navy was an easy decision.
Since the day he was born, family has been the center of Asencion Vela’s life. This month, the focus turns to him when he will be honored with an Honor Flight Chicago trip to Washington, D.C., in recognition of his service during World War II.
During his time in the Navy, Frank crisscrossed the Pacific on two ships, sailing thousands of nautical miles and crossing the international date/timeline and the equator. But there is one trip that he’s not been on and is looking forward to: his one-day, 600-mile Honor Flight Chicago plane ride to D.C.
It was 1966. His student deferment was gone, and his draft papers had arrived. For Rick Ellish it was a chance to follow in his father’s footsteps. His father was a lifer in the U.S. Army infantry. But when Rick gave his dad the news that he’d been drafted, the reaction wasn’t what he expected.
Artie Hill, Jr. grew up on the southside of Chicago. His father, Artie, Sr. was a Pullman porter and his mother Rena, was a cook. When Artie graduated grammar school, his mother, Rena, had grown tired of Chicago and went to Los Angeles to fulfill her dream of expanding her culinary skills to become a chef.
While he now lives in Texas, in 1966, Andy was living in Oak Lawn, IL with his mother and stepfather. His stepfather, Francis X. Downey was actually a member of the Illinois State House of Representatives from 1957 to 1965.
Winifred (Winnie) French was born in 1936 in Evergreen Park, IL. Her father was a Chicago Police Officer, so the family resided in Chicago. After graduating from Morgan Park High School in 1954, she enlisted in the Air Force that same year.
Walter (Walt) Dobbs was born in Detroit in 1925. His father had served in the U.S. Army in WWI in Europe as a machinist. He had taken advantage of his acquired technical skills after he returned to civilian life by becoming an accomplished mechanic.
Summer vacation was in full effect last week as we flew 111 senior war heroes (2 WWII, 4 Korean War, and 105 Vietnam War) to Washington, D.C.
USAF A-1C, Fusing Systems Specialist James D. Cook was born in a coal miners’ camp in West Virginia, sometime between the two world wars. James lived with his mom and dad, a coal miner, until he was 5 years old.
Describing his younger days in grammar and high school, Barry was known as a “cantankerous kid.” Looking for “structure” in his life, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Army and he specifically had set his sights on being a paratrooper.
As family traditions go, service to your country is a truly noble one to have. For the Burkart family of Sycamore, IL, answering the call during World War II was more than a duty. It was a strike back at an enemy that had taken one of their own on D-Day.
By early January 1968, Chris shipped out to Vietnam joining MACS-4 (Marine Air Control Squadron) located on a peninsula northeast of Da Nang on top of “Monkey Mountain.” The base was located on the peak of Sơn Trà Mountain, overlooking Da Nang Harbor and China Beach.
In 1964 the Vietnam draft impacted the lives of so many young men. Arnie, who had already graduated from medical school, decided to be the master of his fate.
A knack for language helped propel Richard “Rich” Renkas through more than four years of service in the U.S. Air Force and 354 combat missions.
After Boot Camp and infantry training, "Sarge" was assigned to Camp Pendleton in California. His Military Occupation Specialty was artillery, and his specific weapon was the 155 mm self-propelled howitzer.
Bob was stationed in Japan and, since World War II had ended by that time, he was part of the Army of Occupation. He served with the 1st Cavalry Division Medical Detachment of the 61st Field Artillery Battalion of Ota, Japan.
In December of 1965, Rich went to Vietnam where his responsibilities included providing security protection for visiting dignitaries, such as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture at the time.
Honor Flight Chicago’s 102nd mission to Washington, D.C., will go into the record books. It was our largest flight in terms of veterans with 119 (1 WWII, 7 Korea, 111 Vietnam). It was also our longest.
At 17 years old, Larry Shaver enlisted in the Marine Corps and his whole life changed – including his name.