“I have no idea if this is the normal monthly parade, but it was nothing like I’ve ever experienced in my life. I personally think it will change the rest of his life. I just want you to know you made a difference in someone’s life.”
Ever wonder how someone gets interested in or decides to sign up to serve? For Jim Schlegel, he recalls hearing about Dr. Tom Dooley. Dr. Dooley was on board a ship that transported North Vietnamese Christians out of the area.
Bernadette “Bernie” Sanner always dreamed of being a nurse from the time she was a little girl growing up in East Chicago, Indiana. The nurses in Bernie’s unit all worked together very closely wherever they were needed.
It might surprise you to learn what Bob Shervino remembers first when people ask about serving as an infantryman in Vietnam. “God was I hungry,” he says. It’s 55 years later, but the pained look on his face makes it seem like yesterday.
Donald Hendrick, born in 1948, grew up in The Cabrini Green complex. He was the youngest of four children. The exposure to gangs and guns did not make for a warm fuzzy childhood.
During his first two years of service, Army life was pretty good for Mike Ahasic. Everything changed during his third year, however, when he served in Vietnam. More than 50 years later, his emotions are still raw.
Upon graduating from high school, Don Ehrhart visited his local Navy recruiter and enlisted in July, 1968, deferring his reporting day to October. Don worked with his father who had a construction business and completed his testing and the required physical examination.
Ivan Lee White was born in 1943 while his dad served in the Army overseas. As he and his younger brother later learned, his dad fought in Europe with General George Patton’s Third Army.
Don was the DJ in Qui Nhon and his sign-on slogan on the Music Machine show was, “How sweet it is! Hello out there in Qui Nhon Land!” Qui Nhon was one of the six areas in Vietnam that broadcasted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
When Laurel and Craig Schilling walked down the aisle in May of 1972, they had no idea their plan to return to college safely ensconced in married student housing was never meant to be.
Once he realized he was being drafted, Michael followed the lead of a few friends and auditioned for the Air Force military band. They didn’t have an opening then, so he started basic training at a temporary base in Amarillo, Texas.
August 28 proved to be one of the hottest days of the year in Washington, D.C., and yet, 116 eager senior war veterans never wavered in their desire to experience their Day of Honor, Thanks, and Inspiration in our nation’s capital!
Jerry Zabel was born in 1947 just outside of Munich, Germany. His mother and father, who met shortly after World War II while working at a clothing factory, were both survivors of the Holocaust; having endured life in concentration camps at the forefront.
Imagine a family of eleven children reared on the near west side of Chicago which sent all the men, brothers and brothers-in-law alike, into service of our country. This is the Latham family legacy.
Dr. Richard Lee was sure of one thing as he shipped out for Vietnam in May of 1969. “I knew I was going to die,” he says with the calm, matter-of-fact assurance of a seasoned clinician accustomed to facing hard truths.
It was a childhood plagued with asthma and multiple hospital stays that first put the thought of nursing into Denise O’Leary Kennedy’s head. She saw so many nurses during those early years she couldn’t help but admire them.
Ronald “Ron” Wills was born and raised in Saybrook, a small town in Central Illinois where Ron’s father farmed while his mother raised Ron, his brother and three sisters, and helped run the machinery with the best of them.
Dr. Stuart Poticha grew up on the north side of Chicago near Wrigley Field. His father was a flight surgeon in the Marine Corps during World War II.
Donald Clarke was born near Boston in 1948 and grew up next to the Revere Beach amusement park and boardwalk. His family has a strong history of fighting for the United States.
Two years after celebrating our 100th flight, and one year after bringing our 10,000th veteran to Washington, D.C., our July 24, 2024 mission saw yet another historic milestone: The 11,000th hero to travel to our nation’s capital with Honor Flight Chicago.