By Tracy Ouellette
Editor
East Troy’s Gerald Zess was one of the area veterans who took part in the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., on Oct. 24.
According to its website, the Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization created to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. They transport veterans Washington, D.C., to visit and reflect at their memorials. Top priority is given to the senior veterans – World War II survivors, along with those other veterans who may be terminally ill.
Zess, a former U.S. Marine, served stateside during the Korean War.
“I went into the service in 1951 and was out of active duty in 1953, but didn’t receive my honorable discharge until 1959, I was held in inactive reserve until then,” Zess said. “I didn’t go overseas, I went to sheet metal and welding school at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina after basic training then I was sent to Cherry Point, N.C., and worked on maintaining and building the target range there.”
Zess said he heard about the Honor Flight about four years ago from a friend who went on one decided to apply.
“He gave me a number to call and I filled out the paperwork and applied to go about three years ago,” Zess said. “I had to be able to walk three blocks and check with doctor first. After did that and they sent me a jacket and told me to be at the airport at 5.45 a.m. and I didn’t get home until almost 10 p.m., boy was I beat.”
Zess said the experience was something he’ll always cherish.
“We flew out there in a 747; I’ve never flew in one before. It’s a great big airplane and there were 187 veterans on board with their chaperones,” he said. “There were people greeting us when we landed in Washington, saluting us, bands playing, kids dressed up in uniforms, I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
And that was just the beginning.
“We took eight buses from the airport to the memorials – four buses went to the War Memorial and the other four went to Arlington Cemetery,” Zess continued. “All buses had space beneath for wheelchairs and they wanted all of us to ride in them. I didn’t want to, but I did for Arlington because my chaperone said he could get me right up front if I did. So I did and was right up there, it was a fantastic experience.”
Zess said he was impressed with the consideration given to the veterans in D.C.
“We had police escorts in front and behind buses with all the sirens and lights, stopping all traffic while we were there, otherwise we couldn’t have gotten from one place to another in time to make the plane back home,” he said. “It was like nothing I’ve ever seen.”
And the ride home was just as awe inspiring, Zess said.
They have this ‘mail call,’ on the ride back and somehow they got ahold of my grandkids and each one sent me a letter,” he said, his voice catching. “We were supposed to read them on the way home, but I got too emotional.”
For more information about the Honor Flight Network, visit www.honorflight.org.
