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Welcome Home Soldier and Thank You Portageville
Forty seven years ago I walked off the USS Ranger (Attack Air Craft Carrier CVA61) with an honorable discharge in hand. I had served in San Diego at Balboa Naval hospital, on Rough and Ready Island near San Francisco, Jacksonville Naval Hospital near Jacksonville Florida, and aboard the USS Ranger Port of San Francisco.
The Vietnam war ended the year I was discharged. I had seen my family twice during the last 20 months. I went to the train station in San Diego and bought a ticket on the Sunset Limited heading for San Antonio, Texas with a transfer to a train going through Poplar Bluff, Mo. I found myself off the train and on the tracks beside the Black River in Poplar Bluff. Like a scene from a vintage western movie, the smoke cleared and there was a sailor in uniform looking across the tracks at his wife, Janet sitting in the car. It was a cold January morning. That was my welcome home ceremony.
In 2016, my son, Justin, talked with one of the people he works with, in the community of Columbia, Mo. Justin had gone several years ago to a replica of the Bataan Death March. He marched, pack on his back, over 60 miles in the sub tropical heat of Texas that summer. His march was sponsored with proceeds going to the veterans. The lady he talked to told him about Mid-Missouri Honor Flight. Justin asked "is it only for Veterans of Central Missouri?" She replied, " No, it is the only one in the state and we welcome all Missouri Veterans." Justin put his dad on the list.
I was called up for flight number 44 on Nov. 7, 2016. We had our preflight instructions on October 30th. Honestly, I went because my son had gone to the trouble to set it up. Little did I know what would actually happen? I was awakened by the front desk clerk of the Courtyard Marriott in Columbia at 11p.m. The hotel provided breakfast for 73 veterans and 36 guardians free of charge. They also gave us $50 off our rooms.
When we left Columbia, a group gathered to give us a send off with pats on the back and a thank you for your service. We were put on two buses leaving Columbia for Saint Louis Missouri. Our Missouri Highway Patrol officers escorted us all the way to the Saint Louis Airport. They were off duty officers who donned their Uniforms, turned on their lights, and stopped traffic in Saint Louis at every turn until we pulled up in front of the terminal. Inside the airport terminal ,100 people from the City of Saint Louis greeted us with extraordinary fanfare. Waving flags the ladies hugged us, the gentlemen shook our hands, the children waved. Then as we walked down the concourse toward our Plane the whole airport erupted, as people left their seats to greet us and thank us. The enthusiasm spread like a forest fire. On the plane we were treated very special by the Captain and stewardesses.
When we arrived at the Reagan Airport in Washington, D.C. There were another 100 people waiting, the ladies hugged us, the men shook our hands, and the children waved. The City of Washington D.C. Police Department came to escort us to the Washington Mall. They stopped traffic; people waved at us from the street and saluted our buses as they passed.
The United States Park Service Police Officers escorted us through the Washington Mall. We went to the World War II memorial. Our Bus driver was a retired Washington DC policeman who knew everything about the monuments. He must do this frequently. After the World War II memorial, we went to the Korean War Memorial. We had three WWII veterans aboard and seven Korean War veterans aboard. The memorials caused an immediate emotional effect on them. When we arrived at the Wall ,everyone was shown the names of Vietnam Soldiers and Marines they knew that had been killed there.
Our Guardians had asked us for names and information at our preflight. They escorted us to look for our fallen comrades. I do not know if there were any dry eyes at that memorial, I did not see any. We proceeded to the United States Marines Memorial and the Air Force memorial. After lunch at the memorial, we crossed over into Arlington National Cemetery. We were greeted by the soldiers that guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They were in full dress uniform and each shook hands with 73 veterans. We watched the changing of the guard and the changing of the wreath. There was a subtle salute from the change of the guard when the soldiers tapped their rifle a couple of extra times for us. Their uniforms were spotless and in perfect condition, not a detail out of place.
We left the Mall and Arlington after having seeing the House of Congress and the White House. When we arrived at Reagan International Airport there were more people to greet us than when we arrived as we walked down the concourse toward are plane the hundreds of people stood up and applauded. When we landed in Saint Louis, I could not count the number of people that welcomed us home, as they were joined by the crowd of people waiting on their flights. I have never had so many handshakes, hugs and thanks for your service in my life. It touched every Missouri Veteran there. We boarded our buses for the return trip to Columbia amidst much fanfare. It had been 20 hours since we left Columbia and I did not see anyone sleeping. Then we had something unexpected. It was Mail Call. Every veteran remembers mail call. It was the only connection with home.
I had started dating a pretty girl that was a cousin to one of my class mates in tech school when in Memphis. She was not the only girl I dated at that time but after I went in the Navy she was the only one that wrote to me. That beautiful angel sent me a letter every week when I was in training in San Diego and every week while I was on Rough and Ready Island. She wrote to me every week for 19 months.
We married when I was on liberty after leaving the Island. Yes, her letter was in my mail call with letters from my children and grand children. I also had letters from my friends at the First Baptist Church, the United Methodist Church; the First Church of God and our Pentecostal Church the First Assembly of God. When those letters came, every veteran turned on their reading lights and all conversation ceased. No letter went unread and there was not a dry eye on that bus.
We were about 10 miles from Columbia and there was a huge bonfire beside the interstate. As we approached we saw it was the Boy Scouts. They were shouting, saluting and waving flags. The other side of the interstate lit up as cars parked at churches turned on their lights and honked their horns. Then, at the overpass before the city limits of Columbia we saw the sky light up with fireworks like it was the Fourth of July. We could see the display from two miles away.
As we approached that exit, the outer road lit up like a Christmas tree. One veteran remarked "look at all those motorcycles". They stretched for at least a mile up the outer road, up over the overpass and down the entrance ramp. Our highway patrol had the exit blocked as 250 motorcycles escorted us into Columbia. The Highway Patrol was joined by the Columbia Police Department and Boone County Sheriff's Department with 25 squad cars all manned by off duty officers.
As we pulled into the hotel parking lot there was a crowd of 200 or more people to welcome us home. My buddy beside me said, "I didn't know this many people cared." My wife and my son were among them. I moved to Missouri 37 years ago. I have never been so proud to be a Missourian as I am today. My wife said "did you get a welcome home?" My reply "Yes! I got a welcome home with 47 years of accrued interest"! God Bless America!