Korean War veterans join others on Honor Flight

Coloradoan.com: Korean War veterans join others on Honor Flight
During World War II, Fort Collins resident Donald Deppe earned the rank of sergeant by renovating ammunitions that were sent to troops overseas. He served in the Army from 1942-1946 and spent much of his time in Hawaii.

Deppe, who will turn 89 on May 11, was one of hundreds of WWII and Korean War veterans who gathered Sunday at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Loveland to take part in the sixth running of the Honor Flight of Northern Colorado.

The Honor Flight has traditionally taken veterans of WWII on a trip to see the war memorial in Washington, D.C. This year is the first time Korean War vets have been invited for the trip and a viewing of that war's memorial in the nation's capital.

Deppe said he was amazed at the number of people who filled up a ballroom at the Embassy Suites Hotel, not only to take the flight but also to honor those who served the United States in two important conflicts.

"(I feel) the same as the day I put on my uniform - a real sense of pride," Deppe said.

When Deppe landed in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, he was scheduled to be greeted not only by Honor Flight supporters but also his son, Darryl, who would view the WWII and Korean war memorials with his father.

Darryl, who lives in Seattle, owns a World War II museum in his hometown.

Cecily Cass, wife of flight commander and Vietnam veteran Stan Cass, who organized the Honor Flight for Northern Colorado, said the flights were started in 2005 in Ohio by Earl Morse, a physician assistant at a Veterans Affairs hospital. Morse would ask patients if they had been able to see the WWII memorial in D.C., Cecily Cass said, and when he found out many had not been able to take the trip, he chartered a private plane to take the vets.

"Pretty soon, (Morse) saw there was a bigger need than what he could fill," Cecily Cass said.

Ohio is still the main hub for the flight.

Volunteers called guardians tag along on the Honor Flight, with one guardian for every three veterans. Medical services are always close at hand, Cecily Cass said.
“(The veterans) are well taken care of,” Cecily Cass said.

When the Honor Flight of Northern Colorado touches back down at DIA today, it will have surpassed 800 veterans that have taken the trip.

The next Honor Flight will take place Sept. 11-12. That flight will be the first to take recipients of Purple Hearts, regardless of what war or conflict in which the veteran served.