HonorAir Blog

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I was reflecting this morning at just what Memorial Day really means. Obviously, it means many different things to all of us but I am sure that if you have lost a member of your family that has served in the military, you know the true reason for Memorial Day. I am guessing that not one person here has escaped unscathed over the years. Whether it’s your grandfather who served in WW II, an uncle OR an aunt in Korea, a father in Vietnam or a son in Iraq, every generation has been touched. These men and women fought to bring peace to our lands far away from our own soil. They fought to preserve peace in this country. On the Freedom Wall there are 4,000 gold stars. Each one represents 100 Americans who gave their lives during WW II. We all know that this represents 400,000 lives lost. Whether it’s from WW II, Korean, Vietnam, Desert Storm or the Iraqi War, there’s not a generation represented here today that has not experienced the loss brought on by War.

So, even though I am here today on behalf of HonorAir-Knoxville, I want to express our gratitude for all the men and women who have given of themselves and served our country and HONOR and REMEMBER those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The goal of HonorAir-Knoxville is to fly East Tennessee WW II veterans to Washington, DC to see the memorial that was built in their honor. Today, I can humbly say, that we have flown almost 550 of these men and women to see this memorial as well as other sites in the nation’s capitol.

I want to tell you a little bit about our program but before I do I want to share some interesting facts about WW II with you.

• WW II began on Sept 1, 1939 in response to the German invasion of Poland.
• As we all know, on December 7, 1941 WW II hit home with the United States. Japanese fighters attacked an American port in Hawaii named Pearl Harbor. On December 11 war was declared on the United States of America.
• On September 2, 1945 President Truman declared the war was over. He also declared this day as V-J day or Victory over Japan Day.
• 16 million Americans served in WW II.

The youngest was 12 year old Calvin Graham serving in the US Navy. He was wounded in combat and given a dishonorable discharge for lying about his age.

• 350,000 of these were women
• Approximately 400,000 Americans were lost during WW II
• 600,000 Americans were wounded.

Today in America, we have less than 3 million WW II Veterans still with us.

We are losing these men and women at the rate of approximately 11,000-12,000 a week OR over 1500 per day.

Unfortunately, in another 5-7 years we will have lost most of the “greatest generation”

The best we can tell…….in this area that includes Knox, Anderson and Blount Counties, we have approximately 12,000 WW II Veterans. Most of these men and women have never had the opportunity to see the Memorial that was built in their honor. So, we have a lot of work to do.

HonorAir is completely a volunteer organization. I have assembled a team that has a passion for our military heroes. Obviously, our current focus is on WW II. The trip is an all expense paid day for our veterans. We leave the Knoxville airport around 9:00 on either a Wednesday or Saturday morning. Before our departure there is an honor guard that salutes every veteran. They are also met and greeted by Congressman Duncan and our City and County Mayors. Congressman Duncan has worked it out in his schedule and has been able to attend all 5 send off so far. His office also arranges some special treats for our veterans through out the day.

During our day in Washington we will tour the WW II, Vietnam and Korean Memorial. We will also drive by the Navy memorial and do a quick stop at the Marine Memorial and the Air Force Memorial. We typically end our day at Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier observing the changing of the guard. We arrive back into Knoxville around 7:30 or 8:00 that evening. On our past arrival we were welcomed by several hundred people from the community that came to the airport to have the opportunity to say “thank you” to these men and women and welcome them home. They were also greeted by the University of TN Pep Band playing patriotic tunes as well as Rocky Top.

This welcome home, from what I hear, is probably the highlight of their day. This is the finale to this trip and will be the last thing they remember. I want to share with you some of the comments about this trip and about the gratitude that these heroes felt.

Bernie Shorr writes “When we returned at the end of the day, a large crowd welcomed us home, clapping and waving flags and thanking us for our years of service. The UT Band played Rocky Top. We did not consider ourselves heroes even though we were treated as heroes on this trip. We just did what we had to do to win the war in the shortest possible time. After 68 years, I now realize that the American public really does appreciate what we did.”

One person asked Mr. John Edds if he enjoyed the flight and here was his reply….He couldn’t say enough good things about it…he talked about how emotional the day was for him, especially upon the arrival and the greetings they received. He said that when they came home from the war, there was no fanfare. He had to hitchhike home to Claiborne County, so this homecoming reception really meant so much to him.

James Dewhirst says” Thanks so much for including me in the HonorAir group from Knoxville. Where did all those folks come from at the Washington and Knoxville Terminals? It was a touching experience, maybe because it had not happened to most of us. We just went back to school or work. Seeing the WW II Memorial was super but the experience will be lasting.”

Norm Kratschmer says….”I have had 3 experiences in my life that have made a lasting impression on me. #1, the day I married my wife on October 2, 1942. (He recently lost her) #2. The day I returned home from overseas combat duty on August 17, 1945 because there were times I didn’t think I would make it, and #3, the trip to Washington, DC which was very emotional, and very memorable.

Raymond Shirley writes…”the welcome awaiting us upon our return to Knoxville moved me to tears. It was in sharp contrast to the day I returned to my hometown in December, 1946. When I was discharged from the Navy, following the surrender of Japan, I was given a bus ticket to my home in Sheffield, Alabama. I arrived unnoticed with some fifty dollars in my pocket and no prospect of employment.”

Mr. Fred Gray passed away just a few days after our very first flight in October 2007. I visited with Ms. Gray to take her a copy of the DVD from the trip and she told me that he never stopped talking about the experience of the trip. He was thrilled and excited up to his very last day.

Tom Brokaw says in his book the Greatest Generation….”if we are to heed the past to prepare for the future, we should listen to these quiet voices of a generation that speaks to us of duty and honor, sacrifice and accomplishment”. Personally, and on behalf of everyone involved with HonorAir-Knoxville, we are humbled to have the opportunity to spend time with these men and women and hear their stories of duty, honor, sacrifice and accomplishment.

Thank you!

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