OT. WW2 Veterans

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My father, a WW 2 Naval Air Corp Veteran and two plane loads of WW 2 veterans returned from Washington DC Saturday!
Charter flights were paid for by WalMart, Tyson's, and Arkansas Electric Co'op. Dad served in the Pacific Theater as a Flight Engineer/Tail Gunner on a PBY Catalina. He was wounded in a Kammakazie attack on Okinawa.
These men returned to Little Rock to a Hero's welcome complete with a band and thousands of cheering "fans"! If any of you were there, Thank you!

Now to the point- If you know of anyone who is a WW 2 Vet visit Honorflights.org They are taking the oldest and those who are terminal first. They will need one escort who has to pay their own way. They are accompanied by several Doctors and Nurses!
These men have never expected anyone to say Thank You but it means a lot to them to hear it!
If you know of someone do what you can to get them there!

Phil

[Jim Krueger]

Thanks for your note Phil! I too have been following the news segments on these trips, it's particularly heartwarming to see, as many of the veterans probably couldn't go otherwise. I think many people our age knew lots of men and women who had served in the war. In my case, I grew up with a grandfather and two uncles who had served. I was particularly
privledged to spend much of my young life on the farm with my Uncle Richard Davidson, he was like my second father, and just a 'prince of a man'. It never fails to amaze me how varied the service was for different veterans, and how 'far-flung' their travels were. My uncle too was a flight engineer and spent three years in the South Pacific. He had a map
of the Pacific under the glass top of his desk and it had lines connecting all the places he'd been as the war progressed.
My brother and I used to like to look at it with him, and ask questions.
When the WWII memorial was in it's planning phase several years ago, I was very pleased my wife, Marlo, took the time to print out the forms needed to register any of the veterans in our family, or of friends who cared to do so. For many years I've seen stories of veterans returning to visit memorials in places like Normandy, and Pearl Harbor, but it was really good that they finally built one memorial in Washington that honors them all. If I have any regret, it would have been my wish that they started this work much sooner.

Best Regards
Jim

P.S. When Marlo and I were visiting the Alaska Air Museum in Anchorage a few years ago, I made several shots of a PBY they had there for restoration. I'd be glad to email some pics.

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Jim,
Thanks for the response! Dad would like to see your PBY pics! He also served on a Privateer in the last few months of the war. I took him to the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola this past August. They have a fully restored PBY hanging from the ceiling and a floor level fuselage with the skin removed on one side. He spent a good 5 hours explaining everything about the planes components, weapons, and all of his responsibility's. If you are ever in that area with the time it is well worth a day and its free!
You are very lucky to have that map! Dad brought nothing home with him!
Phil

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Jim,
My email. pthur@hotmail.com