A few World War II veterans start to arrive at Central Wisconsin Airport shortly after 4:15 a.m.
The fourth Never Forgotten Honor Flight has begun.Volunteers check everyone in, handing out lanyards to designate the branch of service for each veteran. Red Cross volunteers are at the ready, assisting volunteers through security. Many of the veterans, guardians and others had a hard time sleeping the night before.
As they sipped hot coffee and snacked on doughnuts and bananas, some of the talk was about the death of Osama bin Laden — a few watched the early morning news on airport televisions.Guardians and their veterans relax and chat about a number of things — from sports to the news. Some sit quietly and patiently; the flight takes off at 7 a.m.Despite lack of sleep and the still dark sky, there is no lack of smiles and laughter; the veterans are bright-eyed, excited for the day ahead.
Dick Andrus, 87, and his guardian and son, John Andrus, 54, are a couple of the early arrivals.Both are excited for the day's events.“All week, he's been getting excited,” John Andrus said. The younger Andrus said it was an honor to accompany his dad on the trip.“I'm really proud of him,” John Andrus said. “I see a lot of others here with their fathers; makes it more special.”
Dick Andrus smiled.
“Special for me, too,” he said.
Elroy Lemke, 88, of Merrill is a friend of John Andrus. Lemke enlisted at 18.
“I wanted to get off that damn farm,” he said with a laugh.
He got off the farm, but, as the youngest of four children, and the only one to enlist, his parents weren't happy.
“They didn't like it at all,” Lemke said. “Their little boy. I don't think anybody wants to see their child go to serve.”
Technology — if it could be called that — was a stark contrast to what soldiers have access to today.
“I went 2 1/2 years and never talked to my parents,” he said. “A letter took two, three weeks. By the time we would get it … geeze.”
An Army veteran, Lemke was a lineman radio operator, a forward observer.
The fourth Never Forgotten Honor Flight has begun.Volunteers check everyone in, handing out lanyards to designate the branch of service for each veteran. Red Cross volunteers are at the ready, assisting volunteers through security. Many of the veterans, guardians and others had a hard time sleeping the night before.
As they sipped hot coffee and snacked on doughnuts and bananas, some of the talk was about the death of Osama bin Laden — a few watched the early morning news on airport televisions.Guardians and their veterans relax and chat about a number of things — from sports to the news. Some sit quietly and patiently; the flight takes off at 7 a.m.Despite lack of sleep and the still dark sky, there is no lack of smiles and laughter; the veterans are bright-eyed, excited for the day ahead.
Dick Andrus, 87, and his guardian and son, John Andrus, 54, are a couple of the early arrivals.Both are excited for the day's events.“All week, he's been getting excited,” John Andrus said. The younger Andrus said it was an honor to accompany his dad on the trip.“I'm really proud of him,” John Andrus said. “I see a lot of others here with their fathers; makes it more special.”
Dick Andrus smiled.
“Special for me, too,” he said.
Elroy Lemke, 88, of Merrill is a friend of John Andrus. Lemke enlisted at 18.
“I wanted to get off that damn farm,” he said with a laugh.
He got off the farm, but, as the youngest of four children, and the only one to enlist, his parents weren't happy.
“They didn't like it at all,” Lemke said. “Their little boy. I don't think anybody wants to see their child go to serve.”
Technology — if it could be called that — was a stark contrast to what soldiers have access to today.
“I went 2 1/2 years and never talked to my parents,” he said. “A letter took two, three weeks. By the time we would get it … geeze.”
An Army veteran, Lemke was a lineman radio operator, a forward observer.
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