In the early 1950s, Vancouver veterans Al Bauer and Ed Barnes received free trips to Korea.
Six decades later, their service in the Korean War was recognized with another free trip. Bauer and Barnes were among 10 Clark County veterans who traveled to Washington, D.C., on an Honor Flight.
Earl Edwards, John Landahl, Carl Hissman, Cliff Richards, Merle Osborne, Ken Smith, Don Cabe, Ray Anderson, Bauer and Barnes flew from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in October through Puget Sound Honor Flight.
The group visited several memorials in Washington, D.C., including one created as a tribute to their time in uniform — the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall.
Bauer, 89, did two Korean War tours during his six years in the Navy. One of his ships was a transport that hauled U.S. troops.
On another vessel, “We hauled prisoners out of Pusan and Inchon: 1,000 POWs a trip, to a prison island.
“Some of the Chinese were 14. They’d been given a rifle and a bag of rice and shoved toward Korea,” said Bauer, a former state senator and long-time teacher. “There were some with no legs and no arms.”
Barnes, 84, was an infantryman in the Army’s 25th Division — Tropic Lightning.
On the trip, “I met Korean War vets from the 25th Division. It’s nice to have a conversation with people who know what you’re talking about,” Barnes said.
Dealing with Russians
The 25th Division had its own POW experience, Barnes said. They were trained on what to do if they came across any Russians among captured Communist forces. He didn’t see any, but some Tropic Lightning troops did.
The local men were members of the Richard L. Quatier Chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association of Southwest Washington.
When the group flew back to Sea-Tac, it was met with a standing ovation from an enthusiastic welcoming committee, including children who gave the veterans hand-made cards.
“I couldn’t believe the outpouring of gratitude and assistance,” Barnes said. “I think every veteran should have that opportunity.”
Barnes and Bauer also noted that the trips help make the general public aware of the sacrifices veterans have made.
Puget Sound Honor Flight has transported almost 1,000 Western Washington veterans since it was founded in 2013.
While their flight, lodging and meals are free, each veteran must be accompanied by an escort; the trip costs about $1,000 for the escort.
Puget Sound Honor Flight schedules four trips each year — two in the spring, two in the fall — with about 55 veterans per flight.
While World War II and Korean War veterans get priority, “Any life-endangering illness gets to the front of the line,” said Chris Provo, a board member.
About 140 Vietnam veterans are on a waiting list, and there might be spots for some of them on a spring flight.
There are Honor Flight programs in 46 states, and state lines do matter, which complicates things for Clark County veterans. They cannot fly out of Portland International Airport, even though it is across the Columbia River.
“Money for the Portland hub is donated for Oregon veterans,” said Renee Peavey, co-director of Puget Sound Honor Flight. Funding for Southwest Washington veterans comes through the Puget Sound hub.
Some are skeptical
One issue for the Honor Flight organization is identifying elderly veterans while they’re still healthy enough to travel.
“You really have to try to find some of them,” Provo said. “And some of hardest to find are the most needy. It’s a very delicate conversation. Sometimes they are skeptical. They’re waiting for you to ask for their credit-card information. It’s a demographic that’s often taken advantage of.”
And, many veterans have been reluctant to look back on their WWII service — including Provo’s father.
“He referred to it as something that happened a long time ago,” Provo said. “My sister found a copy of his discharge papers. His story had been in a wooden chest in the attic. It was hedge-row fighting in France. It was Purple Hearts. He fought his way across France and Germany in the Rhineland campaign. His platoon had a 138 percent casualty rate.”
While Barnes really appreciated the public support Clark County’s Korean War veterans received during their three-day trip, he also enjoyed spending time with their military elders from the previous decade.
When they met the WWII veterans, “We were tickled to death,” said Barnes, a retired labor leader and former county commissioner. “The older ones told us about battles at different places, and the differences between the European and Asian theaters of war.”
