Werner Semling had never been to Washington, D.C., until June 7, when he went on the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight.
Semling, 80, was one of a group of Wisconsin veterans who had served in the military during the Korean Conflict who went on the honor flight to the nation’s capital earlier this month. The veterans were taken to various landmarks and memorials in Washington, including the Korean Veterans Memorial.
“It was more than what I expected,” Semling said. “They made rock stars out of us. The bands played, the police escorted us through town and people stopped. We took first place.”
The honor flight
The Honor Flight Network program was started in 2004 by Earl Morse, a physician assistant and retired Air Force Captain in Ohio. Many of Morse’s patients were World War II veterans but were not financially or physically able to visit the World War II Memorial. Morse started the volunteer program to help make the trip a reality for veterans.
Today, the program is open to anyone who has served in the military during World War II or the Korean Conflict. More than 1,000 veterans from Wisconsin have gone on the honor flight.
To participate, veterans are each assigned a volunteer “guardian” to care for them during the trip. Guardians pay for their trip, but there is no charge for veterans.
The June 7 flight was the 22nd honor flight out of Milwaukee, said Randy Semling, Werner Semling’s son who accompanied him on the trip. It also was the first honor flight from Milwaukee that had more Korean veterans than World War II veterans and to have no female veterans, he said.
“They always tell you it’s a busy day, and actually it was a very, very busy day,” Randy Semling said.
The day began early, with the flight leaving Milwaukee at 5 a.m. When the plane landed in Washington, D.C., the veterans stepped off the plane to a large crowd that cheered loudly for them. Volunteers were also on hand to help.
“The one thing that kind of struck me is all the volunteers that they have lined up. They have volunteers in the morning side and they have volunteers on the night side. And they enlist quite a few of the Boy Scout organizations,” Randy Semling said.
The group filled five tour buses, which brought the group around Washington, D.C. Many of the veterans were in wheelchairs, which were loaded and unloaded from the bus at each stop, Randy Semling said.
The group visited the World War II, Lincoln, Korean, Vietnam, Iwo Jima and Air Force memorials.
But the changing of the guard at the Arlington National Cemetery is what stood out most to Werner Semling.
The soldiers, who have taps on their shoes, slid their shoes as a gesture acknowledging that the veterans were present, Randy Semling said.
“I went there three years ago with my family, but it was just a little different perspective this time around,” Randy Semling said. “Everybody enjoyed themselves.”
Earlier years
When Werner Semling was 19, he dreamed of life off the farm in Fountain City where he had been raised. Plus, with the Korean Conflict going on, he felt a sense of duty to his country.
So he joined the Army and served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division from 1953 to 1956. He was not stationed in Korea.
“I have good memories of that era,” Werner Semling said. “I think everyone should spend some time in the military. It is a good experience.”
In 1957, Werner and Virginia Semling were married. They lived in Milwaukee for 25 years before moving to Elkhorn in 1977. They had nine children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, with one more on the way.
A retired truck driver, Semling always wanted to go to Washington, D.C. After his wife urged him to apply for the honor flight last year, Semling finally made the trip.
“All the veterans were so friendly,” Werner Semling said of the other honor flight passengers. “I definitely recommend that other people go.”
For more information about the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight, go to www.starsandstripeshonorflight.org .
