Cover Story: A Flight of Honor for World War II Veterans

By Mike Bush

(KSDK) -- They gave everything and never asked for anything: heroes stepping out of history's shadow for a 'thank you' more than 60 years overdue.

"We owe these people so much," said Jim Tayon of Union, Missouri.

The mission began in Union, a small townwith a big goal: to fly every World War II veteran in the county to Washington, D.C., to see the memorial built for them.

"They can't afford it," said Tayon. "When you talk to them, have you been to see their memorial. They say, 'Are you kidding? You know I got to make a decision to pay my pharmacy bill or buy food.'"

Tayon and others opened the local officeof the Honor Flight program and started raising money.

Honor Flight was initially conceived in 2004 by Earl Morse, a Physician Assistant and Retired Air Force Captain, to honor veterans he has taken care of for the past 27 years. Its sole purpose was to fly veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials dedicated in honor of their sacrifices.

"We've gotten $10 checks from Illinois," said Tayon. "We get a thousand here and a thousand dollars there."

Air fare and expenses run about 350 dollars for each veteran, which seems a small price to pay when you hear their stories.

Bill Bragg, 83, stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima where he won a bronze star.

"It was just like you take your hand and clap it as hard as you can alongside your ear and that was the bullets going by," recalled Bragg. "I couldn't tell if it was one inch or one foot or two feet or something. And I was just waiting for the next one to hit me."

Billie Hogue, 85, was a radioman at PearlHarbor. He still has actual notes of his communications when the Japanese attacked on Dec. 7, 1941. He was just a teenager who saw unspeakable things.

"Bodies floating around. Some of it I can't talk about, Mike," said Hogue. "I lost two shipmates that day, Clarence Wise and Matthew Joe Agola."

These men and their stories are fading away. Of the 16 million veterans from World War II, only three million remain. Approximately 1,200 veterans are dying each day.

So Bragg and Hogue were among 32 veterans who were invited to be a part of the first Franklin County honor flight.

The vets were escorted by volunteer guardians, there to push wheelchairs or help in any way.

After a flight and a bus ride, they arrived in Washington. Though it was a place they'd never been, it felt like a homecoming.

Some veterans were surprised by family members who came on their own.

"These are my grandsons," said beaming vet Bob Hanneke.

Others were just surprised by the reaction of strangers.

"I'm embarrassed quite frankly. I think all of us are. We're just not used to this kind of treatment," said veteran Walt Heuer.

As the veterans took steps into their past, they took the time to mourn the 400,000 men and women who never saw this memorial.

"They didn't have a chance to grow old, get married, have children," Bragg said. "All the things that I have gotten in my 83 years now."

They also grieved for the millions for whom it was built too late. Unlike monuments, men are not made of stone.

"Kind of chokes you up," Hogue said through tears.

They have names like Hogue, Heuer and Braggbut they stood for liberty, justice and bravery.

"I've never done anything more meaningful," Tayon said. "If it hadn't been for the one after the other who gave up their lives, we'd be speaking German or Japanese."

Some 15 hours after leaving, the World War II veterans from Franklin County arrived back in St. Louis to a hero's welcome. Relatives and strangers gave them a standing ovation in the terminal.

It was a day to remember for the men and women whose courage and sacrifice, we should never forget.

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Honor Flight donations can be sent to:

Franklin County Honor FlightPO Box 60Union, MO 63084

Donations can also be dropped off at any branch of United Bank of Union or Bank of Washington.

If you're a World War II veteran who is interested in visiting Washington, D.C. with Honor Flight, applications can be downloaded here

For much more information on Honor Flight, use the related links below.