The terrorists’ bombings of 9-11, which killed nearly 3,000 and destroyed the World Trade Center, gave Americans a hint of what it would be like to have an enemy on our shores.

That fear was real in 1941 when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and Adolph Hitler dreamed of world domination.

J.D. Cooper remembers that time. “If we didn’t go over there, they’d be coming after us. We didn’t want them over here. The women and children would suffer.”

That resolve to strike on foreign land was shared by a united country, both men and women. Today, some 65 years later, a grateful nation, through a program called Honor Flight, is still showing The Greatest Generation we remain thankful for their service.

George Cooper, left, and his brother J.D. Cooper have recently returned from Washington, D.C. via Honor Flight, J.D. holds a picture of the ship he served on in WWII. (Press photo by Ken Grosjean)

J.D. Cooper, his brother George, both of Oregon, Frank Veres of East Toledo and Mary Kemp of West Toledo were among the 80 veterans on the latest Honor Flight to Washington D.C. This was the 20th flight for Honor Flight Northwest Ohio. In five years, the non-profit group has flown 702 veterans to the nation’s capital to visit the World War II, Korean and Vietnam Memorials as well as Arlington Cemetery.

Veterans fly free, but must be accompanied by a guardian. The fee for a guardian is $400, which is covered through donations from corporations, individuals or civic clubs. For instance, The East Toledo Club recently donated $1,200 to cover the cost of three guardians.

All four veterans raved about their experience. They were met by a welcoming crowd who shook their hands and thanked them for their service and then spent the day visiting the memorials. Upon returning to Toledo, they were met by hundreds of family members, well-wishers and the Genoa American Legion Band.

“It was the best day of my life. I was treated so good it embarrassed me how good I was treated,” Frank Veres, said. Veres’ day was also special as June 22 was his 87th birthday and the crowd sang Happy Birthday to him.

Veres was a Tech Sergeant with an Army engineers’ battalion. He served in France and in the South Pacific. He was at Ulithi Atoll preparing for the invasion of Japan when the atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima.

Mary Kemp, 89 of West Toledo, was also stunned by the gratitude showed by both crowds in Washington and Toledo.

“It was so mind-boggling. It was so impressive. It was so awesome. It was unbelievable and my tears kept flowing when we went to Arlington Cemetery which was so, so sad,” Kemp said.

Kemp enlisted and served 22 months as an Air Force WAC. She performed secretarial duties in both Colorado and Washington D.C.

Her motivation to join the war effort?

“That was a serious, serious war and everybody wanted to join and do their part.”

Honor Flight board member Beth Emery with Frank Veres.

Kathy Varga with Mary Kemp.

J.D and George Cooper also wanted to do their part. J.D., now 86, enlisted in the Navy in 1943 at age 18. Of these four, he saw the most action. He was a Seaman First Class on the U.S.S. Tennessee, which participated in some of the war’s most famous battles: Tarawa, Saipan, Guam, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

J. D. kept a diary when he served on the Tennessee. Its pages are now weathered with age, but its words are as fresh to him as the day they were written. Here are a few excerpts:

10-21-44: “It was our first sea battle. We sunk a Japanese battle ship and shot down three plans. Sunk three cruisers. (Battle of Surigao Strait in Leyte)”

2-17-45: “Today has been hell. Six of our boys got hit by shrapnel and died, two others are very serious, the others are just slightly injured.”

4-2-45: “Those damn Japs are crazy. They are trying to make an air field out of us. One made a suicide dive on us but was shot down before he got us.”

Brother George, two years younger than J.D., signed up at the end of the war at age 18. He served with the Army’s 7th Constabulary Squadron in Stuttgart, Germany. The squadron provided security services immediately following Germany’s surrender.

George said his highlight on June 22 was seeing his sister Peggy, her daughter and her granddaughter make the trip from London, Kentucky to Washington D.C. to spend the day with her brothers.

J.D. concurred.

The next Honor Flight is August 31. There is a waiting list of more than 200 World War II vets, according to Marti Franco, community outreach coordination. However, now that the organization has use of a larger plane, it can accommodate 80 veterans on each flight, twice as much as its previous plane.

Ernie Toth, of Oregon, served as guardian for his father-in-law, Frank Veres, and Kathy Varga, of Curtice, served as guardian for Mary Kemp. Both called Honor Flight the thrill of a lifetime for the veterans they accompanied. Toth recalls his father-in-law saying to him, “I don’t deserve this.”

Ernie said he replied, “Yes, you do.”

Yes, they do. Take time to say thank you to a veteran this July 4th weekend.

You can learn more by going to honorflightnwo.org or by calling Marti Franco at 419-382-3569.

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