Honor Flight reunion celebrates heroic generation

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - On Sunday afternoon, 71 years removed from Japan's surrender and the end of World War II, hundreds of veterans filed into Avon High School for a celebration.

But it wasn't just a celebration of the end of the conflict, nor was it just a celebration of V-J Day.

Instead, the gathering was a celebration of the generation of people who made that victory possible more than seven decades ago.

A generation of hardship. A generation of sacrifice. A generation of heroes.

"It reflects the spirit and the mental climate of that group of humans, and I'm afraid we've lost some of it from then 'til now," said Jim McClure, a World War II Veteran who attended Sunday's 4th Annual Indy Honor Flight Reunion with his two brothers and fellow veterans, Bob and Dick.

The trio of brothers took their Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C., in September 2014.

"It was an usual generation in many ways because we had lived through the depression, a terrible period of heat, drought, dust storms, unemployment ... and survived it," McClure continued. "And if (Adolf) Hitler had known what he was getting into tangling with that bunch of survivors, he would have quit before he got there."

As part of the nationwide "Spirit of '45 Day" observances, the Indy Honor Flight reunion in gave those who have taken part in the program the opportunity reconnect with fellow veterans and be commended for their bravery.

Each year, Indy Honor Flight takes veterans living in Indiana to Washington for free to see the memorials that stand in honor of their achievements and their sacrifices. The first Indy Honor Flight was in 2012 with 80 veterans.

Since then, Indy Honor Flight has flown nearly 1,500 Hoosier veterans to the nation's capital at no cost, including both World War II and Korean War veterans.

"We're calling this a reunion because I can't think of a better way to describe a group of people who spent such a special day together ... everyone here seems like family to me," said Grant Thompson, founder and chairman of Indy Honor Flight. "We're often asked 'who pays for all this? Where does the money come from?' Well, the short answer is that it comes from the heart.

"America. All of us. We're the ones who pay . people everywhere pitch in to do this."

Thompson also spoke of V-J Day and how for many of the people fighting in the war, there was no celebration or ticker tape parade back home as it would be weeks, or even months, before they could return.

With Indy Honor Flight, participating veterans are greeted by countless supporters who both celebrate their arrival in Washington, as well as their return home to Indiana.

? "With wave after wave of folks coming back home, it was simply impossible to thank them all in such a way," Thompson said. "But we've done our best to right that wrong."

Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., spoke at the reunion and talked about the impact made by those being honored Sunday.

He said that impact lives on and will continue to drive America forward.

"This is a very, very special group, and I want you to know this. Many of you are parents or uncle or brothers or sisters of those who are serving today, and they are incredibly worthy successors," Donnelly said. "You're part of an unbroken line ... you are what has made this the most incredible, wonderful, place on earth. God has touched us with his grace and given us the chance to live here, but you're the ones who paid that mortgage ... who paid that debt. So we are much in your debt."

For veterans Bobbie Pancake and Phil Brummit, recreating their Honor Flight trip from 2015 was an emotional experience.

The two men served together in the U.S. Army, but lost touch went they went their separate ways in 1966, Brummit said.

They were reunited during their Honor Flight trip and learned that they live just miles from one another.

"It was really remarkable to bump into somebody like that," Brummit said. "I lost track of him because I didn't really know him. I went to Vietnam, he went to Okinawa and we ended up back together later on .. It was really amazing."

"We were very happy with it, the program today and the trip," said Pancake, who considers shaking the hand of former Sen. Bob Dole his Honor Flight highlight. "They have done just an amazing job."

Dick McClure said for him, the best part of the trip was being able to place the wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Solider alongside his two brothers.

"At the time they were only taking WWII vets on the flight and they allowed me to go because they wanted the three brothers to go while we still could," he said. "This program has been very valuable as most of the veterans returning home threw down their duffel bags and either went to school or went to work. There were no ticker tape parades or anything of this nature, and we're beyond the point now where we can afford to go up and see those memorials. It's just a marvelous program to go up free of change and it was one of the greatest days I've ever had."

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Source: The Indianapolis Star, http://indy.st/2bv8QEm

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Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com