Bruce Hansen's military career began when he told his Dad, a Marine Raider during WWII, that he would follow in his footsteps and enlist in the Marines. It was 1968, and 18-year-old Bruce was working as a carpenter/laborer, trying to get ahead of the Vietnam draft.
Talking with WWII Veteran Raymond Gervais, he said “I always wanted to be doing something”, from his WWII and Korean days, to playing volleyball in his 60’s, or working with his canine search and rescue team. He has certainly kept himself active.
Ignacio ‘Nacho’ says he’s a Navy man that never set foot on a ship. Still, he’s proud of his naval service as a crew chief on a C-121 Constellation known as the Typhoon Tracker that traveled throughout the Pacific.
Roger Dexter was born in Melrose Park, Illinois in 1945, the fourth of five children. His father served in the Army in World War II but was never sent overseas, in part because of the large number of children he had.
Charles Ohrn was born in Chicago and grew up in the suburb of Park Ridge. He was the middle son of three boys and had one sister. His older brother served in the US Army in Germany and his younger brother in the US Navy, based in Iceland.
The Navy is a family affair for the Hoders. James Sr. and James Jr. have the distinction of being just the second father/son duo to fly as honored veterans together on an Honor Flight Chicago mission.
“I had the best time of my life. I would do it all over and I wouldn’t change nothin. I got to see the world and I’ve got brothers.” Those are the words of Scott Phillips 50 years after serving aboard the USS Ticonderoga in the early 1970s.
Kent's father was a professor in foreign languages and his mother a librarian. His older brother retired as a Colonel in the Air Force and one of his younger brothers also was an Officer in the US Air Force. Thus, military life was not foreign to Kent.
Growing up in Southern California, Jeffrey Wombold enjoyed the sea, but it didn’t truly consume him until he joined the Navy in 1971.
QM3 E-4 Daniel Walter Tatar grew up on the South Side of Chicago with a brother and a sister. He worked from a very young age: first delivering papers for a news stand in grammar school, then at Sears after school in high school.
Two months before Joe Spinazzola graduated high school, his father sat him down and presented three options for 17-year-old Joe’s future. One week later, Joe announced his chosen path.
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.
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.
Growing up in a military family, it was not a difficult decision for Paul Barrath to make the decision to enlist in the U.S. Navy.
Ron was born on a farm near Freeport, Illinois in 1936, one of six kids. He and several buddies from his neighborhood in Freeport left high school halfway through senior year to sign up for the military.
When Tom turned 18, he took to heart the Navy slogan, “Join the Navy and See the World.” He enlisted and did just that.
“Join the Navy and see the world!” But in Master Chief Boatswain's Mate Ken Albert’s case, it was not “see the world” but more like “be in the line of fire 24/7 for as long as your Vietnam tour of duty lasts.”
Growing up, the Galvan brothers, Manny, Felix, and Lu, did almost everything together. As young adults, all three entered the military and served during Vietnam – sometimes even in the same village.
Leon H. Wilson was born and raised in the Englewood neighborhood in Chicago. Leon, wanting more adventure than what he was experiencing on the South Side of Chicago, made the decision to join the U.S. Navy at the age of seventeen years old.
Thomas G. (Tom) Workinger was born in 1928 during the Great Depression and grew up and attended school in Terre Haute, Indiana. He “watched” as World War II engulfed the planet.