Honor Flight: Wisconsin WWII veteran takes lifetime trip at age 100
Wisconsin WWII veteran takes lifetime trip at age 100
It's a day made especially for Wisconsin veterans; to remember, to honor, to reflect.
MILWAUKEE - It's a day made especially for Wisconsin veterans; to remember, to honor, to reflect.
Trip of a lifetime
What we know:
On a Saturday morning in late April, a mighty group of the bravest Wisconsinites boarded a plane in Milwaukee, bound for our nation's capital.
"How does it feel?" FOX6 News asked Freddie Stachoviak, one of the 114 veterans on Mission #79.
"Pretty good," Freddie responded. "It’s one of the things on my bucket list."
Freddie Stachoviak
Freddie Stachoviak is fine to blend in with this crowd. In fact, he would prefer it. But at 100 years old, he's the sole member of this Honor Flight representing the Greatest Generation. It's a chapter of his life he remembers well.
Reliving history
What they're saying:
"Like it was yesterday," said Freddie. "But I didn’t tell anyone about it until later. I think we wanted to forget what we did, you know?"
Freddie Stachoviak
The story of Freddie's service in World War II is one he would rather keep to himself. He doesn't think it's very interesting. But seated next to his great-grandson on the steps of the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C., Freddie opened up about his three years of service as an army medic in the European theater.
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"I think it was a converted school, and they turned it into a hospital, and we took the patients out of the ambulance and into the wards," said Freddie.
Freddie Stachoviak
The Milwaukee native landed in Normandy shortly after D-Day in fall 1944. From there, he was sent to Arlon, Belgium just in time for the largest, deadliest conflict yet – the Battle of the Bulge.
"One time we went into the rooms there and the fellow couldn’t feel his leg," described Freddie. "He said he didn't have any feeling in there. Guess what? They had to cut it off."
When asked how a young person can process those images, Freddie said you can't.
"You just try to forget it and think to yourself how lucky you were," Freddie said.
Doesn't consider himself a hero
The backstory:
Yes, Freddie calls himself lucky to have served in a war so violent it was the deadliest conflict in history. And like so many GIs of his time, he would never call himself a hero.
Freddie's great-grandson and companion on the trip, Nick Stachoviak, thinks otherwise.
Nick Stachoviak
"I think he’s always thought that his job wasn’t important because he wasn’t in the battles, he wasn’t getting shot at," said Nick. "But if he wasn’t bringing people in, they weren’t getting treated, and they were going to die."
Spirit of humility
Dig deeper:
Honor Flight President Karyn Roelke said that incredible spirit of humility actually prevents veterans from going on these trips, because they don't think they deserve it.
"Very often, veterans tell us they don’t see themselves as a critical piece of the big picture when others do," said Roelke. "Any contribution when you leave home and serve your country is significant."
It's even more significant when accounts of a war that changed everything are heard less often. Of the 16.4 million Americans who served, less than 1% are still with us today.
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So, while the fact that Freddie is 100 years old may make him special, that he's a World War II veteran with a sharp mind and vivid memory, makes him a treasure.
It's a fact that was made evident by the crowd that gathered to listen to Freddie tell a story he didn’t think was worth knowing. By the time our interview wrapped up, there was a crowd that had formed behind us at the WWII Memorial.
What they're saying:
"We had some veterans of different conflicts who were just there seeing the memorial, who wanted to stop and salute him or wanted to shake his hand or talk to him," said Roelke.
"I met a lot of new people today from different times of the war, Vietnam and Korea," said Freddie. "That was special too because they opened up to me, I don’t know why."
Freddie Stachoviak
So, on the steps of the World War II Memorial, a bucket list item turned into something more meaningful: a healing journey.
As for what else is on Freddie's bucket list, he said he'd love to visit the Holy Land, but recognizes now might not be the best time for that.
In the meantime, Freddie said he's going on walks, bowling, and getting ready to celebrate his 101st birthday in July.
What you can do:
The next Honor Flight takes off on Saturday, Sept. 6. For more information, you are invited to visit the Stars & Stripes Honor Flight website.
The Source: The information in this post was provided, in part, by Stars & Stripes Honor Flight.