Wheaton man to talk about his time fighting in three wars
Lt. Col. Ed Godfrey, a Marine Corps veteran of three wars, has flown 38 different aircraft during his 31 years in the military. On a lot of those flights, he was pursuing another of his passions -- photography.
"When I flew in World War II, I had a small camera like a (Kodak) Brownie. I took some pictures in World War II," said Godfrey, who lives in Wheaton with his wife, Cathy, also a military veteran.
"In the Korean War, when I got to Tokyo … I bought a Canon at the post exchange. I carried it with me on the airplane and I took it with me when I was flying combat missions. I took color slides."
Godfrey will talk about his experiences and share his photos at two upcoming Veterans Day programs.
On Monday, he will be one of several veterans to address fifth-graders at Longfellow Elementary School in Wheaton during a school program and ceremony.
He'll also talk at the Faith Circle, a prayer group that his wife belongs to, at 1 p.m. Tuesday at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Wheaton.
Godfrey said he joined the Marines in October 1942. While serving four years during World War II, he went through flight training. He then went into the reserves and returned to service in 1951 and 1952, during the Korean War. He again responded to the call of military service for the Vietnam War.
"In 1966, I volunteered for combat duty in southeast Asia," he said.
In between stints in the military, he pursued a career in the heating and air-conditioning field. In fact, he said, he figures he spent more of his life as a civilian than he did as a soldier. He's modest about his days in the service.
"I could go through life without anybody knowing what I did," he said.
It was at his wife's urging that he agreed to share his memories.
"I was a woman Marine," said Cathy Godfrey. "I was a dispensing officer (handling) military payroll. I actually met Ed at the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point (North Carolina)."
During World War II and the Korean War, Godfrey said he flew a plane known as the F4U Corsair. He added that he volunteered for Vietnam because he had the skills needed.
"They were looking for pilots to go back," he said.
When he thought about his friends still in the service, he said, he decided to go back to pitch in where he could.
The thrill of flying fighter jets, he said, was also a draw.
"Just really living a normal life was too boring for me, I guess," he laughed, adding that his hobbies have included race car driving, surfing and skiing.
The nightmarish scenes all too common in war have stayed with him all these years, he said.
"I regret my friends I've lost. I've seen guys explode. I've seen planes burn. That's the hard part. Some nights you wake up and you're back there again … I just wish the guys I knew that I saw get killed, the ones that disappeared in the clouds … I just feel bad about a lot of it," he said.
Godfrey said he comes from a long line of military veterans. His children have kept up the tradition.
Two of the Godfreys' four children have been in the U.S. Air Force. Their daughter, Kerry, has retired from military service and lives in Virginia. Son Patrick Godfrey is on active duty, an Air Force major stationed at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.
Both Patrick and Kerry Godfrey have been to the Mideast and South America on missions, their father said.
"They've had real good careers in the Air Force," he said. "They've had a lot of experiences."
War stories
What:Lt. Col. Ed Godfrey of Wheaton is always willing to share his experiences about World War II, Korea and Vietnam as a fighter pilot.
• He will visit with students at 10:15 a.m. Monday at Longfellow Elementary School, 311 W. Seminary St., Wheaton. (630) 682-2080
• 1 p.m. Tuesday at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 515 S. Wheaton Ave., Wheaton. (630) 668-5953