Grouse Hollow Journal for May 21, 2015 by Greg Koelker

Bud is in the camo jacket in the middle.  Paul is behind him in the tan jacket.

Bud Veale of Stoddard has often been a partner in crime in this space; he and I have hunted ducks and pheasants and on occasional surprised some fish since right after I started writing “Outdoors” for the Broadcaster in 1990. Over the years, we have developed a thing called “the report.” He'll call and let me know what's going on in the woods and on the water and any other gossip around Stoddard that he knows. I sometimes call with the report too. Anyway, last week Bud called me to get “the report” and share his story of his freedom honor flight on May 2. Bud is a Korean War vet. His initial words about the experience of the Freedom Honor Flight were, “Fabulous, terrific, very well done!” He was amazed that they managed to move a “bunch of older people” in such a big group so efficiently. “There were a few WWII guys who were all 90 or above,” said Bud.

Bud said that things in Washington, DC have changed. “I was there in 1957 and I drove right to the capital, parked, and walked right up to it the same as any other place.” He added, “Those days are all done. The area around much of the government buildings was blocked off and heavily guarded. We wouldn't have gotten anywhere but we had a police escort all day.” Bud said the city seems so much bigger, with so many more government buildings and so many more people. He remarked that he remembered Washington as a dirty city, but today it is, “Very, very clean and well kept, even for the number of people around that I could see out the bus windows.” In Washington, “We all wore a certain color shirt to stay with our group in the huge crowds.” He was impressed with the number of bicyclists who have a cycling lane in the middle of the streets. He said, “They can rent bikes there.”

The honorees started their tour at the WWII memorial. “There were bagpipers from Scotland marching. Everything was very military.” The group visited the Vietnam Memorial which he described as very large, just amazing how many names are on that thing. Another vet on the flight, Paul Benson of Stoddard, found a relative on the wall and got a stencil of the name. “We went to the Korean War Memorial. It was spread out just like we were trained in Korea: spread out so if the shooting starts they don't get all of you at once.” Other places they visited included the Disabled Veterans Memorial, the Naval Memorial, and the Air Force Memorial adjacent to Arlington Cemetery. He said it is on a hill overlooking Washington with three stainless steel pillars disappearing into the sky. “The Pentagon was down below it, and they told us how the 911 terrorists flew the plane into it,” said Bud. “We went into Arlington Cemetery and visited where war hero and movie star Audy Murphy was buried. We watched the changing of the guard. It was involved and really sharp. Those guys are really trained.” The guard also put out wreaths and played Taps. He added that, “Some of the cherry trees were still in blossom, and we could see where Kennedy was buried but we didn't get to the grave.” He said they also visited the memorial for the Marines which has a statue of the flag raising on Iwo Jima.

By then it was getting dark. Bud's nephew Rick Elsen, “pushed me all over in a wheelchair. Most of the vets were in wheel chairs, but Paul (Benson) managed to walk the entire time.” Other highlights of the day, included meeting former congressman and veteran Bob Dole in Washington, “Everybody got to speak with him.” When they landed at Reagan Airport there was a welcome from firemen who shot the water hoses in the air and all over the plane.

“The welcome back (at La Crosse) was unbelievable, certainly better that the welcome back I got the first time when we got home,” said Bud. He said the Stoddard Legion came, there was family, and the minister from my church. He said, “You get off and you walk down an aisle with people clapping and shaking your hand.”

“I'd recommend it to anybody, any veteran. I got to talk to some of the veterans who went through things like me. It really meant a lot to all of us. It is an impressive program,” he said and added, “They had it all set to take care of us tired old geezers. I couldn't put a price on it. It was worth it. It was a great experience. I am glad to have had a chance to do it. Just to get together with all of the other veterans.”

World War II and Korea veterans have priority status for Freedom Honor Flight. The next flight from La Crosse is scheduled for October. There remain some World War II veterans in our area who haven’t yet participated in an Honor Flight. The Freedom Honor group encourages them to apply. Freedom Honor Flight is not government funded. It relies solely on donations. If you would like to donate you can do so securely online at donatenow.networkforgood.org/1413009 or mail your check, made payable to Freedom Honor Flight, to Freedom Honor Flight, P.O. Box 505, La Crosse, Wisconsin, 54602-0505.

Until next time, get out - last week Ellen and her sisters did their annual preparations of flowers for the family grave sites. They also baked 18 pies for a fund raiser! She has been mushroom hunting more than me and finding more morels than me, but they are still coming up if you can see under all of the green. I also have a report of (@#$%!) gnats and mosquitoes on the rise. Thank you for your service, Bud and all vets. Enjoy the holiday weekend.