Honor. Thank. Inspire. An Honor Flight Chicago Podcast

Episode 100: Left For Dead, Frank Trout Thrives

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 12:04:12 -0500

In the jungles of Vietnam, Frank Trout took a bullet to the head. He was discovered by a unit that was not his own, bandaged, and evacuated. At some point during this process, he clinically died. Most remarkably, he knew none of this until a chance meeting at a reunion 40 years later. Frank's humor—and many adventures in life—make his story a perfect fit for this podcast's landmark 100th episode.

Episode 99: Carl Brader's Classified Chopper Hops

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 10:18:39 -0500

Carl Brader served in Vietnam as a helicopter crew chief aboard high-risk missions transporting Special Forces into Laos and Cambodia for assignments that remained classified for long after the war.

Episode 98: A Gold Star Family's Fight to Honor Their Fallen

Wed, 13 May 2026 08:45:15 -0500

Ken Duggar was badly wounded in Vietnam. He was hospitalized for months and came home to recuperate before his guilt at leaving his brothers-in-arms behind in the field led him to re-enlist. He got as far as Germany before complications from his original wounds led to his death. Because he died away from Vietnam, his sister, Phyllis, had to fight for years to have Ken's name added to the Wall. She won. This is her story.

Episode 97: Shot Down 3 Times: Mike Bubacz’s Jungle Survival

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 10:56:27 -0600

Marine Corps Veteran Michael Bubacz did two tours in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, assigned to train and serve alongside South Vietnamese Marines during helicopter missions into Laos and Cambodia. Three times Hueys he was aboard were shot down. The final instance led to more than two weeks of a wounded Bubacz surviving alone in the jungle, waiting for rescue.

Episode 96: Hayley Ermer Serves Our Veterans, Honors Her Father

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 12:06:18 -0600

Hayley Ermer volunteers with Honor Flight Chicago as a "red shirt:" a medical professional who gives of their time and expertise to ensure a safe and comfortable day for our Veterans. Hayley's own father served in Vietnam, and her work with HFC's heroes has helped her understand her dad's experience in war and the resulting PTSD he brought home with him.

Episode 95: Vietnam Veteran Gary Holian's Gold Star Family

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 12:51:51 -0600

In the Spring of 1971, Gary Holian surprised his family by coming home for his R&R from Vietnam. The Gary who arrived at their doorstep was quite unlike the Gary they knew before he left for war. Three months later, Gary was killed when his Huey gunship was shot down over the DMZ. His sisters, Jody and Lory, traveled on Honor Flight Chicago's Mission 125 in September of 2025 to honor his memory. They share their family's story here.

Episode 94: Arnie Oskin, Army Psych Specialist

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 18:08:55 -0600

Arnie Oskin never saw combat in Vietnam, but he witnessed firsthand its effects on those who did. Arnie's profession was social work, and he used his skills as a neuro-psychiatric specialist to make recommendations around the mental state of veterans coming back from Vietnam. Over a long career in the Army, Arnie's own mental well-being was affected by what he saw.

Episode 93: Green Beret Bruce Hill Serves Country, Fellow Veterans

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 10:26:53 -0600

Army Special Forces Veteran Bruce Hill served in Laos during the Vietnam War as part of clandestine operations that were not formally acknowledged for many years. Though Hill made it home, a Vietnam tragedy unrelated to his time in Laos changed his life forever, and set him on a path toward honoring his fellow Veteran at every turn.

Episode 92: We Were Soldiers: The Battle of Ia Drang Valley

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 15:21:58 -0500

The Battle of Ia Drang in November of 1965 was the first major battle between the U.S. Army and the North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War. The engagement -- which resulted in 237 dead and 258 wounded on the American side -- spawned a critically acclaimed book and a major motion picture detailing the events around Landing Zones X-Ray and Albany. Lieutenant Bob Konrardy was there. This is his story.

Episode 91: Carl Adams and the K9 Sentries of Phan Rang

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 09:06:42 -0500

Carl Adams spent the Vietnam War walking his dog. As an Air Force sentry dog handler at Phan Rang Air Base, Carl's job was to patrol the perimeter each night to defend against sappers and other attacks. The adventures of Carl and his sentry dog, Andy, were often entertaining, sometimes irreverent, and occasionally terrifying -- but above all else, the K9 unit was known for its dedication and professionalism in the field.

Episode 90: Jim Miller and the Aftermath of an Attack

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 08:57:17 -0500

In May of 1969, Jim Miller was badly wounded in a sapper attack on his firebase near the infamous "Hamburger Hill." In the months that followed, Jim had to re-learn how to walk. He also sought to learn exactly what had happened that day, a process that took far longer.

Episode 89: Honoring Timothy Fitzmaurice and Gold Star Families

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 10:09:50 -0500

On May 9, 1968, Marine Corps L/Cpl Timothy Fitzmaurice was killed in action in Thua Thien Province, Vietnam. His sisters, Ellen Shea and Maureen Schiesser, remember in vivid detail the subsequent knock on the door at their family home. More than 57 years later, Ellen and Maureen joined HFC123 as our inaugural Gold Star Family participants to honor their brother's sacrifice as well as their own.

Episode 88: James Cox, Vietnam Helicopter Pilot

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 06:58:47 -0500

By the age of 18, James Cox knew he wanted to fly helicopters. In 1969 he arrived in Vietnam as a Huey gunship pilot, an assignment full of risk considering over one-third of all Hueys in combat were shot down during the war. After his tour, he was assigned as an instructor pilot back in the United States. There he found flying with his students to be too dangerous for his taste -- so he requested a second tour back in Vietnam.

Episode 87: Chinook Engineer Tom Messenger

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 07:17:21 -0500

Army SP5 Tom Messenger served as a flight engineer on a Chinook in the early 1970s, flying "dozens and dozens" of missions ferrying men and supplies into Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. While some of those missions were uneventful "milk runs" as Tom says, many were not. He wrote a book about his experiences in Vietnam, and he shares some of his stories with us here.

Episode 86: Vietnam Veteran Don Beach's Letter to Congress

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 15:09:33 -0500

Air Force SSgt Donald Beach's job in Vietnam was, in part, loading body bags onto planes heading back to the States. Between that and the wounds he suffered during a rocket attack on his base, Don developed strong feelings about his service. When he was greeted by protestors upon his return home, Don was so upset that he wrote a letter to his Congressman -- a letter so powerful it was entered into the Congressional Record.

Episode 85: Vietnam Combat Veteran Johnnie Williams

Thu, 22 May 2025 10:01:06 -0500

Johnnie Williams received a bit of advice as he arrived in Vietnam: Don't get too close to the soldiers you are fighting with. He found out why on his very first mission in the jungle, and again and again throughout his tour. As Johnnie came to understand, though, heeding that advice was much easier said than done.

Episode 84: Bronze Star Veteran Don Hendrick's Road to Recovery

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 10:34:38 -0500

Don Hendrick grew up in the Cabrini-Green Housing Project and joined the Army after repeated run-ins with the law. On the battlefields of Vietnam he distinguished himself, earning the Bronze Star with V device. Upon his return home, though, he was told "nobody cares." Years of substance abuse followed, but Don's story did not end there. In this raw and honest episode, Don details the road he took to "get busy living."

Episode 83: Sergeant Don Taylor "From the Delta to the DMZ" With AFVN

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 08:58:31 -0500

Sergeant Don Taylor had a background in music when he entered the service. Armed with an FCC license, Taylor was the perfect recruit to join the Armed Forces Vietnam Network as a disc jockey spinning the soundtrack of the Vietnam War. Here he shares old clips from his shows and the music meant to give our service men and women a taste of home.

Episode 82: Richard O'Connor's Heroism and the Power of Love

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 10:35:36 -0500

Richard O'Connor earned a Bronze Star for his heroics on the battlefield one early April day in 1969, a fact that only came to light back home when his mom found the medal in his duffle bag. Dick did not want the attention as he dealt with the lasting emotional scars of service. Dick credits his wife, Patricia, with helping him deal with those scars, beginning with her letters to him in Vietnam through to the present day.

Episode 81: Dr. John Wander's Work With Korean Orphans

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 08:10:44 -0600

Dr. John Wander was drafted in 1967, certain he was headed to Vietnam where surgeons like himself were in great demand. Instead, he was assigned to an Army base eight miles from the DMZ in South Korea. As the base's Chief Surgeon, he used his authority to benefit not just those assigned there but to deliver much-needed care to hundreds of Koreans in the surrounding areas.

Episode 80: Ken Burmeister's Healing Journey

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 11:38:41 -0600

Army E4 Ken Burmeister saw friends wounded and killed during his time in the jungles of Vietnam and Cambodia. He returned home and turned to alcohol to help process his experiences in combat. Now sober, his post-war healing received a boost after a surprise reunion decades later with a wounded friend, and from his efforts to track down the student author of an anonymous letter he received on his Honor Flight Chicago trip in October of 2024.

Episode 79: Robert Gurley and James Blue, From Childhood Bond to Veteran Brotherhood

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 10:36:34 -0600

Robert Gurley and James Blue can't agree on when they first met, but what they can agree on is they have been the best of friends since childhood. When Robert was "snatched off the street and sent to Vietnam," it didn't take James long to enlist to follow his friend. Through the barbs and bonds that all good friends share, Robert and James have another commonality: helping each other through the post-war trauma of service in Vietnam.

Episode 78: Vietnam War Combat Chaplain Father Richard Shannon

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 11:02:28 -0600

When a young Catholic priest saw many of his parishioners being sent to war in Vietnam, he felt it was his duty to serve as well. It took Father Richard Shannon years of lobbying, but eventually, he was granted permission to enlist. During his tour of duty, Father Shannon said mass and ministered to countless troops, including at LZs deep in the jungles of Vietnam.

Episode 77: Stuart Poticha and MAS*H in the Vietnam Era

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 09:19:22 -0600

Stuart Poticha, the youngest surgeon on faculty at Northwestern, received a phone call from a Colonel informing him he was going straight to Vietnam before his draft card ever arrived. At Basic Training, he couldn't hit a target feet from his face and generally refused calisthenics. His antics -- and those of his fellow doctors -- were tolerated only because "court-martialing a surgeon caused too much paperwork." But Stu Poticha could save lives. And the 12th Evac Hospital in Vietnam, where he was Chief of Surgery, did that better than anyone else.

Episode 76: Vietnam Vet Jerry Zabel's Intelligence of War

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 13:34:50 -0500

Jerry Zabel was born in Munich, Germany, to a mother and father who barely survived Nazi concentration camps. The young family emigrated to the United States and Jerry found his parents always reluctant to talk about their experiences during WWII. When the Vietnam War broke out, Jerry's off-the-charts intelligence and insatiable curiosity about the nature of war drove him to enlist—and soon the realities became all too real.

Episode 75: F-4 Phantom Pilot Dave Adams

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 13:08:43 -0500

Air Force Captain Dave Adams was an F-4 Phantom fighter pilot in Vietnam, flying more than 200 missions over North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. A long-time member of the Honor Flight Chicago volunteer interview team, it's time for us to tell Dave's own remarkable life story.

Episode 74: Sonny's Sequel: Zdancewicz Receives His Day of Honor

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 09:51:03 -0500

In Episode 47 of this podcast, we profiled long-time Welcome Home flag line member Sonny Zdancewicz, whose bravery in Vietnam earned him three Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts. Only recently did he become interested in receiving those medals at the urging of his family, and at the same time decided that it was time for his own Day of Honor. That day came on July 24, 2024, and you can travel along with him in this special episode.

Episode 73: Bob Gatenby's Vietnam Tale of Love and War

Sun, 11 Aug 2024 12:57:16 -0500

Robert Gatenby had just married his wife of 56 years, Diane, when his draft notice arrived. During his service in Vietnam, Bob experienced the darkest moments war can bring. To protect his wife and parents, however, Bob's steady stream of letters home never let on to the danger he faced. This is a story of how war changes those who fight, and how love can conquer all.

Episode 72: D-Day Veteran Dick Rung Returns To France

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 12:53:20 -0500

On June 6, 1944, Richard "Dick" Rung was aboard LCT 539 as it attempted repeatedly to land at Omaha Beach in Normandy among fierce German resistance. The memories of what he saw and experienced that day remain vivid, even as he approaches his 100th birthday and especially as he traveled to France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Episode 71: Ken Molnaire and Patton's Third Army

Sun, 14 Jul 2024 14:18:34 -0500

While Ken Molnaire was working as an usher at the Des Plaines Theater in 1941, news broke of the Japanese bombing at Pearl Harbor. Though Ken had never heard of this faraway location, the attack there set into motion world events that would send Ken across the pond to Europe as an integral member of Patton's Third Army.

Episode 70: Our D.C. Guardians

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 13:29:43 -0500

In July of 2024, we celebrate the 11,000th senior war hero Honor Flight Chicago has brought to our nation's capital -- the most of any hub in the nation. How do we fly so many veterans while giving them all a personal 1-on-1 Guardian for the day? Our dedicated, selfless volunteers who live in the Washington D.C. area. This is their story.

Episode 69: Vietnam Purple Heart Veteran Tom Brown

Thu, 23 May 2024 10:16:05 -0500

Tom Brown served as an infantryman in Vietnam, where he faced frequent and ferocious firefights as a member of the Big Red One. About six months into his tour, his unit was ambushed near the Cambodian border and Tom was severely wounded by a grenade. He describes his journey from there in today’s episode.

Episode 68: The Music of the Vietnam War

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 10:13:24 -0500

The Vietnam War had a soundtrack. For the men and women in-country, music -- and often one specific song -- provided an escape and a connection to "the world." Join Paul Meincke as he listens in to a recent talk by Doug Bradley, co-author of "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam War."

Episode 67: Master of the Air Richard Bushong

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 08:21:23 -0500

On March 6, 1944, Richard Bushong was at the controls of a B-17 Flying Fortress as part of the first daylight bombing raid to reach Berlin during WWII. The air armada that day stretched for 94 miles in the sky and inflicted heavy damage on the Nazis -- but at an alarming cost to the Allied forces as well.

Episode 66: The 2 Sides Project

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 15:05:20 -0500

On December 7, 1966, Air Force Captain John W. Carlson was shot down near Bien Hoa. To this day, he remains listed as Missing in Action. He left behind a wife and two young daughters, Margot and Kim, who struggled to grasp the depth of their loss. While they continue to search for his final resting place, Margot also founded the 2 Sides Project, which unites children whose fathers died fighting each other to bring about understanding and lasting healing. This is their story.

Episode 65: Donald Talbot's Fight to Live in Vietnam

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 09:47:41 -0600

As a teenager in Vietnam, Donald Talbot was involved in a firefight so intense that many of his fellow Marines were killed. Himself badly wounded, Talbot emerged from unconsciousness with the realization that his hands were being bound together. He quickly understood that to stay alive he would have to play dead -- and that was just the beginning of his fight for survival.

Episode 64: A Son's Career of Service Honors His Father

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 09:25:37 -0600

Russel McClintock served over three decades in the Navy, beginning during the Vietnam War and continuing through and beyond the first Gulf War. That service was -- in part -- meant to honor the father whose name he shares. Russel McClintock, Sr., was a B-26 gunner in WWII when his plane was shot down over Italy, leading to his capture and eventual incarceration in the infamous Stalag 17B. When Russel the son traveled on HFC112 last year, he did so to honor both McClintocks.

Episode 63: William Fireside, Korean War Psychological Warrior

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 08:57:23 -0600

Long after the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed in 1953, American service members were still fighting on the peninsula -- though their weapon of choice was not a firearm or a mortar but the power of the pen. William Fireside's mission in Korea was Psychological Operations (PsyOps for short), and the adventures he had in the execution of that mission make for an entertaining episode.

Episode 62: Cold War Spy John Lee

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 08:46:17 -0600

John Lee's Air Force basic training testing in 1955 revealed a hidden skill: an aptitude for foreign languages. His first assignment was a yearlong intensive study of Russian at Syracuse University. He then took those skills -- and a top-secret clearance -- to the border with East Germany where he and others listened in on Soviet pilots flying overhead.

Episode 61: Duane Buttell and the MiG-21 Victory

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 13:58:13 -0600

On July 14, 1966, Duane Buttell, Jr., was the "Guy in Back" of an F-4 fighter escorting F-105s to a target over North Vietnam. Suddenly, several enemy MiG-21s appeared. Buttell and his co-pilot, William Swendner, shot down the MiG in one of the first victories over that aircraft during the Vietnam War. The aerial battle made such an impact that Hanoi Hannah mentioned Duane by name on a subsequent broadcast.

Episode 60: Vietnam Veteran Jim Davidson, A Survivor

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 11:42:55 -0600

Army Sergeant Jim Davidson arrived in Vietnam in March of 1968 with the intensity of the Tet Offensive still at a fever pitch. Jim stepped into the 101st Airborne as a replacement troop and soon found out why that unit's casualty rate was so high. Jim was wounded three times, the last time by a booby-trapped grenade that left him hospitalized for weeks. Instead of going home, however, Jim was sent back to the fighting for a fourth time. Every day for 54 years since coming home, Jim was wondered why he survived when so many of his friends did not.

Episode 59: Tomb Guard Joe Varanauski and the Standard of Perfection

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 08:26:23 -0600

From late 1956 through the summer of 1957, Army veteran Joseph Varanauski held the esteemed position of Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Listen in as Joe details his journey to one of the most prestigious posts in the U.S. Armed Services and reveals what it means to live by the creed "my standard will remain perfection."

Episode 58: Every Hero Has a Story

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 09:35:02 -0500

Honor Flight Chicago has now flown over 10,600 senior war veterans to Washington, D.C., to celebrate their service and give them the proper Welcome Home they never received. That number is big -- possibly impenetrable -- but each one of those heroes has a story. Join Paul Meincke on September's HFC111 as he learns the stories of eight different heroes and the impact their HFC experience has had on them.

Episode 57: David Mann, Vietnam War Gold Star Son

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 08:23:05 -0500

David Mann's father was in Vietnam for only a short time when he was killed in a rocket attack months before his namesake son would be born stateside. The younger Mann has spent his life getting to know his dad, recently becoming involved with a group of Gold Star children called Sons and Daughters in Touch. David flew with us on HFC111 to honor his father's legacy and brethren, and share his own experience in this powerful episode.

Episode 56: Norm Bowens, Mike Masello and the Brotherhood of Vietnam Veterans

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 09:04:33 -0500

Norm Bowens and Mike Masello served in Vietnam at different times and at different places. Still, they each brought something home so common to veterans who served in combat: PTSD. Many years later, a chance encounter around a specific chair at a group meeting led the two to become fast friends and brothers. Both flew together on Honor Flight Chicago's 109th mission to Washington, D.C., in July of 2023. Here they share their individual stories of service and their shared journey on the long road of healing.

Episode 55: Vietnam Veteran Jim Parker’s Unique MOS as the ”Bug Man”

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 09:15:18 -0500

Jim Parker grew up an Air Force brat. When the time came for him to join the service during the Vietnam War, he chose the same branch as his father. Despite being raised to know all things Air Force, his assigned role in the war was not one he had ever heard of. While his comrades in arms fought VC and NVA, Jim's adversaries were much smaller and more pervasive: mosquitoes.

Episode 54: Vietnam Veteran Dante Plata and the Power of Music

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 11:10:50 -0500

Dante Plata grew up in the church and fell in love with music and the guitar at an early age. Later, after entering the Army, he spent two years as a corpsman in a hospital in Japan treating the wounded of the Vietnam War. Seeing the results of the horrors of war up close led Dante to turn to his music for healing -- both for himself and for the benefit of those he cared for.

Episode 53: WWII Aviator Howard Cain and the Aftermath of Little Boy

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 09:00:31 -0500

The son of Jewish immigrants from Russia, Howard Cain was so eager to serve in WWII that he forged his parents' signatures to enlist at 17 toward the end of the war. Later, as a flight engineer on a B-29 Superfortress following Japan's surrender, Cain was aboard a reconnaissance flight over the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What he saw has stuck with him to this day.

Episode 52: Celebrating 10K Heroes Flown with Purple Heart Veteran Ray Szweda

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 12:33:24 -0500

Honor Flight Chicago flew its 10,000th senior war hero to Washington D.C., on May 10, 2023. On that flight was Vietnam Veteran and Purple Heart recipient Raymond Szweda. Each of the 10,000 veterans we have honored has an individual story of service and sacrifice. Learn Ray's as you follow him throughout his much deserved Day of Honor during which he "learned that it's ok to ask for help."

Episode 51: Vietnam War Sniper Ronald Baltierra

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 10:56:55 -0500

Ronald Baltierra served as a sniper in Vietnam, an assignment so difficult mentally that he failed to pull the trigger the first time he was ordered to do so. He eventually came to understand that as hard as it was to knowingly take a life, he was saving countless more in that brutal war with his actions.

Episode 50: Bob Bruzek and the Seabees in Vietnam

Mon, 22 May 2023 10:12:40 -0500

Navy Seabee Bob Bruzek traveled with Honor Flight Chicago in June of 2019 aboard our very first flight to include Vietnam veterans. Flying with him on a laminated card inserted into his hat were the names of two men, friends from Vietnam who did not make it home from the war. As we honored Bob that day, he continued to honor his fallen comrades-in-arms as he has done for the last half century.

Episode 49: Celebrating 100 With Rev. Hank Roberson

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 10:52:28 -0500

Featured in Episode 6 of our podcast, WWII Veteran Hank Roberson is back to celebrate his 100th Birthday! In this short episode, Paul Meincke joins Rev. Roberson at his West Side church on Easter Sunday as the community comes together to honor this hero. Listen in!

Episode 48: Ed Helrigel’s Two Tours of Vietnam

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 11:16:59 -0500

Ed Helrigel returned from Vietnam to a world he no longer recognized. From the heat of battle one day to arriving home the next, it was a reality that plagued many of his comrades-in-arms. For Ed, the toll of his transition back to the United States led him to volunteer for a second tour of Vietnam, where at least his brothers understood the world they occupied.

Episode 47: Sonny Zdancewicz’s Leadership In The Jungles of Vietnam

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 14:37:33 -0600

Sonny Zdancewicz saw constant action in the Vietnamese jungles as a Sergeant in the 7th Cavalry Regiment. The physical and emotional scars of battle, though many, were not enough to dim his singular focus: keeping the men in his command as safe as possible. His bravery earned him three Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts, but only recently did he become interested in receiving the medals at the urging of his family.

Episode 46: WWII B-24 Pilot Howard Levinson’s Dream To Fly

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 09:08:41 -0600

Howard Levinson grew up in extreme poverty in Chicago and from a very young age experienced rampant anti-Semitism. He dreamed to fly, pushing through the obstacles of resources and ignorance to become a B-24 pilot in the Pacific at the tender age of 21. Though his crew feared he would be a "coward" because of his Jewish religion, he taught them a lesson in heroism they would never forget. Howard has continued to teach his entire life, including 75 years as a flight instructor.

Episode 45: Vietnam Veteran Dee Simmons and the Impact of Agent Orange

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 10:19:55 -0600

Army SPC/5 Richard "Dee" Simmons saw and experienced a lot during his time in Vietnam, but nothing stuck with him more -- literally -- than the Agent Orange defoliant that would cake on his skin to the point that it could be peeled off. In addition to the resulting physical health struggles, Dee like so many deals with PTSD. After years of avoidance, Dee now embraces his story and shares it for younger generations to learn. It also bears noting that Dee is one of our most active and dedicated volunteers.

Episode 44: Purple Heart Veteran Jerry Warren and Race in the Vietnam War

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 10:31:37 -0600

Jerry Warren is a born leader, a trait that was instantly recognized in his Army training prior to being sent to Vietnam. Jerry, who is Black, quickly made Sergeant and was placed in charge of a unit comprising all white soldiers. Though they functioned well as a team, there was a prejudicial undercurrent that could not be escaped.

Episode 43: Korean War Veteran Elaine Ansbro and NORAD

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 14:50:01 -0600

Elaine Ansbro has had a fascination with flying and aviation since she was a young girl. With that in mind, she joined the Air Force during the Korean War in the hopes of taking wing. She soon found out she was too tall at 5-foot-8 to serve aboard aircraft, and instead learned a new skill she still has to this day: writing backward. Find out how that job aided the war effort, and experience Elaine's love of singing in our latest episode of Honor. Thank. Inspire!

Episode 42: Jerry Sperry, One of the Korean War’s Chosin Few

Sat, 03 Dec 2022 08:25:48 -0600

Marine Corps Veteran Jerry Sperry received two Purple Heart medals for his service in the Korean War. The first came in South Korea, while the second came during the frozen Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the North. Now in his 90s, Jerry's current mission is to educate future generations about the "Chosin Few" who fought that battle.

Episode 41: Vietnam Veteran Jim Weinstein’s Mission To Find Himself

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 09:46:59 -0600

Marine Corps Lance Corporal Jim Weinstein enlisted in the Marines to escape a troubled youth full of drink and drugs. Jim endured many close calls on the battlefields of Vietnam including one that resulted in his family receiving an erroneous death notice. All of it added up to another battle with PTSD following his service. Jim says of his Honor Flight Chicago experience: "For 50 years after I got back I couldn't cry. It's now six days after my flight, and I still have a lump in my throat that I hope never goes away."

Episode 40: WWII Veteran Howard Hill And the Aftermath of Nagasaki

Mon, 07 Nov 2022 10:41:16 -0600

Howard Hill joined the Navy at 17-years-old toward the tail end of WWII. At war's end, he was on a ship bound for Japan to pick up POWs who had been housed in prison camps near Nagasaki. With camera in hand, Howard walked the streets of the city and documented first-hand the destructive power of the atom bomb.

Episode 39: Small Town America and the Vietnam War

Fri, 07 Oct 2022 06:39:48 -0500

Honor Flight Chicago alum Danny Anderson hails from Gardner, Illinois. A town of 1,400 that sits 60 miles southwest of Chicago in Grundy county, Gardner saw five of its young men not return home from Vietnam. Danny himself was wounded there. He and longtime friends Earl Fatlan and Gary Kociss -- also Vietnam veterans -- sat down with Paul Meincke to discuss their experiences.

Episode 38: WWII Veteran Bill Shoop, Witness to the Nuremberg Trials

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 14:45:03 -0500

Bill Shoop served as a teletype operator during the latter stages of World War II in Europe, first during the Battle of Bulge and later from the International Military Tribunal known as the Nuremburg Trials. Though he claims no special role in the Trials -- "I just happened to be there," he says -- Bill Shoop was quite literally a witness to history and we are proud to tell his story.

Episode 37: A Recap of Flight 103, Our Operation Education Mission

Fri, 26 Aug 2022 11:14:57 -0500

Our 103rd flight on July 20, 2022, featured 111 senior war veterans receiving their long-awaited and much-deserved Day of Honor, Thanks, and Inspiration. It also featured 13 teachers and students from our rapidly growing "Operation Education" mission that seeks to connect veterans with local schools to inspire gratitude and service among our youngest generation. This is their story.

Episode 36: Rodney Branch Plays TAPS In Combat

Tue, 09 Aug 2022 11:42:37 -0500

Rodney Branch has always been a musician. When he joined the Army in 1966, his first duty station was with the 55th Army Band in Alabama as a trumpeter and a bugler. Soon, though, he got his orders for Vietnam. There his MOS continued to be of a musical nature: Rodney Branch braved ambush and attack to fly into fire bases and perform TAPS for fallen comrades during the TET Offensive, and he never ever missed a note!

Episode 35: Mike Osika and the USS Enterprise Explosion

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 10:35:07 -0500

Mike Osika was aboard the USS Enterprise on January 14, 1969, when -- 75 miles from Pearl Harbor and in preparations to sail to Vietnam -- explosions ripped across the flight deck. Mike joined the fight on the deck to save the ship from the inferno that claimed 28 lives and injured more than 300. Years later, Mike was aboard HFC100 as an honored veteran. Following his flight, he came across a veteran interview with an old high school friend participating in HFC101 that he long thought was KIA in Vietnam. Their reunion after 52 years is a fitting capstone to this episode!

Episode 34: Lew Bottando, ”Lucky” Vietnam Veteran With Three Purple Hearts

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 13:57:09 -0500

Lew Bottando describes himself as lucky. He has been married 50 years to his high school sweetheart, and retired from a long career in the Chicago Fire Department as a battalion chief. His luck began, however, before all of that: he came home alive from the jungles of Vietnam after earning two Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts. In this episode, Lew takes us back in time to those jungles an ocean away, using language that is evocative, graphic, and at times shocking. There's also an epilogue to his story for which you must stay tuned.

Episode 33: Richie Louck, Vietnam Medic

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 09:40:32 -0500

Richie Louck served as an Army medic with the 1st Cavalry during the Vietnam War -- an assignment with a very short shelf life. In fact, he was the lone medic in his company to survive his tour. Richie also was a childhood friend of our host, Paul Meincke. The two lost touch for many decades, but have reunited in recent years. Their chemistry is obvious in this conversation that touches not only on Louck's Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts earned in the jungles of Cambodia, but also on baseball and friendship.

Episode 32: Korean War Purple Heart Veteran Rich Bernier

Wed, 18 May 2022 16:03:04 -0500

Army Corporal Rich Bernier served "many months" on the front lines of the Korean War. One day, the bunker he had just left took a direct hit from a mortar, killing all inside. Rich received serious shrapnel wounds, recovered and came home. It was not until he and his son, Rick, traveled together on an Honor Flight Chicago mission to Washington, D.C., in 2016 that his family heard his battlefield tales.

Episode 31: Honor Flight Chicago Celebrates Its 100th Flight

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 18:02:31 -0500

In the predawn hours of April 13, 2022, 116 senior war veterans arrived at Midway International Airport to experience a day of Honor, Thanks, and Inspiration meant as a grand gesture of gratitude from a grateful nation. The life-changing trip would not only celebrate these heroes, but the more than 9,100 who came before and the thousands still waiting for their Day of Honor. This is the story of HFC100: Honor Flight Chicago's 100th mission to Washington, D.C.

Episode 30: Purple Heart Vietnam Veteran Luis Rodriguez

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 15:04:55 -0600

The 30th episode of our moving and meaningful Honor. Thank. Inspire. podcast spotlights Luis Rodriguez, a Purple Heart veteran of the Vietnam War. His deeply personal descriptions of the conditions of battle bring all of the rawness of the jungle home, and make the story of his actual homecoming all the more heart wrenching. This is a story that is as explicitly real as it is explicitly told. Don't miss this powerful episode.

Episode 29: Silver Star Vietnam Veteran Clyde Wilson

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 10:05:05 -0600

Clyde Wilson's first assignment after completing officer school was a command at Fort Leonard Wood with "McNamara’s Hundred Thousand." He -- like nearly all of them -- soon found himself heading to Vietnam where his eye-opening arrival foreshadowed an encounter in the field that would lead to the young first lieutenant being awarded the Silver Star.

Episode 28: Two-Tour Vietnam Veteran Charles Nichols

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 10:45:16 -0600

Charles Nichols believes in his country's mission in Vietnam to this day. Fulfilling a life-long desire to be a United States Marine, Nichols signed up and served. When his tour of duty was complete, he returned home to Chicago and immediately found himself in another fight against rabid war protestors. Deciding it was safer for him to return to battle, Nichols volunteered for a second tour. In this Season 3 debut of Honor. Thank. Inspire., Nichols vividly describes the challenges common to so many of our Vietnam veterans.

Episode XXVII: WWII Navy Veteran David Grauer

Tue, 28 Dec 2021 08:29:51 -0600

Dr. David Grauer, DDS, joined the Navy late in WWII thanks to the urging of his father. After not seeing combat, he felt his military experience was not worthy of inclusion on an Honor Flight Chicago mission. For a man whose service to his country and his community extends from his time in uniform all the way into his 10th decade of life, he could not have been more mistaken.

Episode XXVI: Purple Heart Vietnam Veteran Jon Lapo

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 09:58:15 -0600

Jon Lapo had a rough-and-tumble upbringing in the Madison and Central neighborhood on Chicago's West Side. Looking for direction, he enlisted in the Army and soon found himself in Vietnam as a demolition man and -- for a time -- as a tunnel rat. His experiences in-country produced trauma that he lives with to this day, but he has found a purpose in life in the present that sustains him.

Episode XXV: Omaha Beach D-Day Veteran Ray Wagner

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 13:45:01 -0600

In the absolute chaos that was Omaha Beach on D-Day, 20-year-old Ray Wagner found himself twice thrown into the water before scrambling onto the sand, death and destruction all around. He himself was wounded on that beach, but less than a month later he was back with his field artillery unit as they worked their way through Belgium, Holland, France and Germany -- where his unit came upon the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau. Irascible and with language as salty as the water he was thrown into, Ray Wagner brings D-Day and the end of the war in Europe to vivid life in our 25th episode.

Episode XXIV: Ride Along as Operation HerStory Takes Flight on HFC98!

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 13:55:52 -0500

On October 6, 2021, our long-awaited Operation HerStory All-Female Veteran Flight took off bound for Washington, D.C., with 93 senior heroes aboard. Come along for the ride as Paul Meincke shares the sounds and experiences of the day through the eyes of several of the women veterans who took part in this historic mission!

Episode XXIII: WWII B-24 Bomber Pilot Alvin Goodman

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 11:43:08 -0500

WWII Army Air Corps First Lieutenant Alvin Goodman, Jr., flew 11 successful missions as a B-24 Bomber pilot before, while serving as co-pilot on his 12th, he was hit by flak and knocked out cold in the cockpit. In this episode of Honor. Thank. Inspire., Goodman describes the relatively little training pilots received before being thrown into combat, and his road to recovery after being wounded in midair. Goodman remained a flyer throughout his life, logging 25,000 hours of flight time during his career.

Episode XXII: Vietnam Army Nurse Constance Edwards

Sun, 26 Sep 2021 10:52:18 -0500

Retired Army Colonel Constance Love Edwards was a nurse in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, where she treated casualties coming in from the field while facing challenges related not only to gender, but race as well. In the decades afterwards, she has worked to bring recognition to the women who served in the military. On the occasion of our partnership with Operation HerStory and our All-Female Veteran Flight on October 6, 2021, we are proud to bring you Connie's story in this special episode.

Episode XXI: Korean War Infantry Veteran and Hall Of Famer Kenny Hirata

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 12:11:41 -0500

Kenny Hirata spent many of his teenage years in an Japanese-American internment camp in Arizona during WWII. After resettling in the Midwest, Hirata served his country in the infantry during the Korean War. This powerful episode explores the effect of the internment camps on Hirata and his family, and how he built a life and career that culminated in his enshrinement in the Hot Rod Hall of Fame.

Episode XX: Inside HFC96, The Nation's First Honor Flight To Return To D.C.

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 14:24:20 -0500

On August 18, 2021, Honor Flight Chicago returned to Washington, D.C., with a plane full of 112 senior war veterans. It was the first honor flight nationwide since the start of the pandemic and the first for HFC in 22 months. Go inside the flight with Paul Meincke to experience the day with our heroes!

Episode XIX: Honor Flight Chicago's Return To The Skies

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 14:56:56 -0500

After a 22-month pause in flying, Honor Flight Chicago is excited to return to the skies with its 96th flight in August of 2021. The resumption of flights to Washington, D.C., brings with it new protocols and a more urgent approach to our mission. Paul Meincke sits down with HFC Co-Directors Edna Ho and Doug Meffley to discuss those changes and more in this episode of Honor. Thank. Inspire.

Episode XVIII: Vietnam War Marine Corps Sergeant Louis Covelli

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 10:54:00 -0500

Marine Corp Sergeant Lou Covelli was among the earliest combat troops sent to Vietnam, finding himself part of 1965's Operation Starlite -- the first purely U.S. offensive of the war. Covelli volunteered for any assignment that came his way during his tour, never believing that he would make it home alive. When he did, however, the reception he received from his fellow countrymen shook him to his core. His path forward, and Honor Flight Chicago's role in his current outlook on his service, are a focus of this episode of Honor. Thank. Inspire.

Episode XVII: A Daughter's Remembrance of WWII Purple Heart Veteran Harold Weir

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 11:47:54 -0500

Staff Sergeant Harold Weir was struck eight times by enemy fire in 1944, but survived his wounds, subsequent capture, and five months as a POW in the infamous Stalag 17. Harold returned home after WWII and for decades stoically endured mental and physical pain that often left him unable to sleep through the night. In 2011 -- accompanied by his daughter, Donna -- SSgt Weir traveled with Honor Flight Chicago to Washington, D.C., for an experience that proved to be life changing for all involved.

Honor. Thank. Inspire. Episode XVI: A Daughter's Remembrance of D-Day Veteran Bob Wilcox

Thu, 27 May 2021 10:00:21 -0500

Bob Wilcox landed on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944: D-Day. He survived the landing only to be cut down on "Bloody Hill" near La Haye-du-Puits one month later. After nearly a year in the hospital, Bob came home to focus on family and his career as a notable optician prior to his passing in 2020. In this unique episode, Bob's daughter Jeanny Shotas' remembrances of her father are interwoven with Bob's own words from an earlier interview. As one of Bob's famous clients once said: Holy Cow!

Honor. Thank. Inspire. Episode XV: WWII Bronze Star Medic Peter Broustis

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 12:43:09 -0500

As an Army field medic throughout the Battle of the Bulge, Staff Sergeant Peter Broustis saw firsthand the brutal realities of war. For his courage under fire, he received a Bronze Star. And yet, it was the atrocities he witnessed as part of the liberation force at Dachau that truly shocked him. As Peter says, "I saw man's inhumanity to man."

Honor. Thank. Inspire. Episode XIV: Korean War Marine Bob Healy

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 09:50:36 -0500

During high school, Bob Healy enlisted in the Marine Corps reserves. Soon after, Corporal Healy found himself on the other side of the world in the thick of the frozen Chosin Reservoir campaign -- one of the most brutal battles in the history of modern warfare. Hear his story of survival as one of the Korean War's "Chosin Few."

Honor. Thank. Inspire. Episode XIII: WWII Pilot George Behling, Jr.

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 10:33:42 -0500

Through 41 missions over Germany during WWII, George Behling, Jr., escorted bombers in his P-51 Mustang and safely returned home. During the 42nd, however, his engine failed -- forcing the 20-year-old to land in enemy territory and to take what he calls "the hard way home."

Honor. Thank. Inspire. Episode XII: WWII Purple Heart Veteran Dick Idstein

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 09:29:32 -0600

During the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes, Army PFC Dick Idstein was wounded. The surgeon who operated on him asked "Do you want the bullet?" Dick said yes -- and promptly sent the bullet home to his mother. That act preserved a tangible piece of history from the famous battle, and Dick used it during his career as a grade school teacher to illustrate the realities of war for his students.

Honor. Thank. Inspire. Episode XI: Vietnam Veteran Jim Zwit

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 10:02:00 -0600

On April 15, 1971, Jim Zwit and Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division walked into an ambush in the A Shau Valley of Vietnam. Eight men in Delta Company were killed, and a severely wounded Jim was expected to be the ninth. Instead, after 20 months in the hospital, he lived. To honor a pact he made with one of the fallen, Jim set out to find the families of those eight men in what became a decades-long quest that only divine intervention could complete. In this Season II debut of Honor. Thank. Inspire., Jim shares in riveting detail the battle, the aftermath, and the search that became his driving force.

Honor. Thank. Inspire. Episode X: WWII Tuskegee Airman Mel Copeland

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 09:26:59 -0600

Mel Copeland loves his country so much, he kissed the ground he walked on when he returned home from war during WWII. He wanted to serve his nation as a paratrooper or a pilot, but was quite literally too tall to fly -- so he became a ground crew member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. In this first season finale of our Honor. Thank. Inspire. podcast, Mel's wisdom and deeply respectful approach to life shine through with a message that's as timeless as it is timely.

Honor. Thank. Inspire. Episode IX: Co-Founder and Retired CEO Mary Pettinato

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 13:49:55 -0600

Honor Flight Chicago Co-Founder, retired CEO and current Board member Mary Pettinato got the idea to start an Honor Flight hub in Chicago after taking her father to see his WWII Memorial shortly after it opened. Twelve years and 95 flights later, Mary has seen it all and has so many stories to share about the impact our mission has had on our senior war heroes and their communities.

Honor. Thank. Inspire. Episode VIII: WWII "Ghost" Army Veteran Bernie Bluestein

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 11:30:08 -0600

WWII veteran Bernie Bluestein was an art student in 1943 when he saw an Army recruiting flyer posted on the bulletin board at school looking for artists to form a new outfit. He ended up as part of a unit so secret that his escapades in Europe remained classified for nearly 50 years! Now free to tell his story, hear his fascinating tale of serving with the US Army’s 23rd Headquarters Special Troops -- the "Ghost Army" -- deployed successfully along the Rhine river.

Honor. Thank. Inspire. Episode VII: HFC Board President John Ptak

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 13:50:57 -0600

On the occasion of this Veterans Day week, Honor Flight Chicago Board President John Ptak sat down with our own Paul Meincke to discuss HFC's approach to its mission during the current pandemic. Ptak details the many ways that Honor Flight Chicago has continued thanking its heroes even while flights to D.C. are paused.

Honor. Thank. Inspire. Episode VI: WWII Army Veteran Henry "Hank" Roberson

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 14:14:56 -0500

WWII veteran Hank Roberson was drafted into the Army from his home in the segregated south. He arrived in Normandy one week after D-Day assigned to the 957th Quartermaster supply company -- part of what would become known as the vital "Red Ball Express" supply chain. In this timely episode, Roberson discusses being confined to a non-combat role because of racial barriers, his reaction to black soldiers like himself finally being allowed to fight during the Battle of the Bulge, and his experiences with discrimination during and after the war.

Honor. Thank. Inspire. Episode V: Marine Bob Guilfoyle, Korean War Forward Observer

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 05:00:00 -0500

Korean War veteran Bob Guilfoyle paints a picture of what it was like to serve in the Korean War. This proud Marine battled the Chinese, the cold and the wildlife as a forward observer in what he firmly believes was his patriotic duty. This episode features several light-hearted tales as well as a story about the stark realities of war. It also includes a chance meeting so incredible it must be heard to be believed!

Honor. Thank. Inspire. Episode IV: WWII Navy USS Franklin Survivor Marion Burns

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 10:27:41 -0500

Long-time ABC 7 Chicago reporter Paul Meincke and WWII Navy Seaman Marion Burns discuss Burns' time aboard the USS Franklin, a ship which withstood multiple attacks including a direct bombing hit in March of 1945 that resulted in the loss of more than 800 of his fellow sailors. Burns' powerful story includes his ongoing struggle with PTSD and the impact his Honor Flight Chicago experience had on him.

Honor. Thank. Inspire. Episode III: WWII Navy St. Lo Survivor Joe Borst

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 12:00:00 -0500

The third episode of Honor Flight Chicago's Honor. Thank. Inspire. Podcast, features a conversation between long-time ABC 7 Chicago reporter Paul Meincke and WWII Navy veteran Joe Borst, a Fireman 2nd Class who was aboard the USS St. Lo when it became the first major warship to sink after a direct hit from a Japanese kamikaze attack during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Honor. Thank. Inspire. Episode II: Battle Of The Bulge Purple Heart Veteran Irv Abramson

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 12:00:00 -0500

In this second episode of Honor Flight Chicago's Honor. Thank. Inspire. Podcast, long-time ABC 7 Chicago reporter Paul Meincke sits down with WWII Army Veteran Irv Abramson to talk about his service in the European Theatre, including being severely wounded during the Battle of the Bulge. Irv discusses his struggle with PTSD and how he finally revealed his war experiences to his family because of an assignment his daughter completed for high school.

Honor. Thank. Inspire. Episode I: D-Day and Okinawa Veteran John Ullinskey

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 11:23:21 -0500

In this debut episode of Honor Flight Chicago's Honor. Thank. Inspire. Podcast, long-time ABC 7 Chicago reporter Paul Meincke sits down with WWII Navy Veteran John Ullinskey to discuss his involvement in D-Day and the Battle of Okinawa and everything in between: including his reaction to VJ Day and getting to meet the Pope!