Local Korean War veterans enjoy Valor Flight

From the Sand Mountain Reporter: Local Korean War veterans enjoy Valor Flight
The weather in Washington, D.C., was sunny and 62 degrees the day after Veterans Day.

It was a perfect day for a tour of the sights.

And a perfect day to remember the fallen of the Forgotten War.

The Rev. Willis Kelly, a Korean War veteran and Albertville resident, remembered one of the fallen in particular, a soldier from Cullman that he knew as Pfc. Mynatt.

"I was in Korea 13 months from April ‘52 to May ‘53," Kelly recalled. "A couple of months before I left Korea, the chaplain wanted me to drive the jeep for him."

Kelly declined, not wanting to change units with just two months left on his tour.

"He asked me if I knew anybody, and I knew a guy from Cullman," Kelly said. "He talked to him, and Pfc. Mynatt went to work for him driving the jeep."

Kelly later heard Pfc. Mynatt died when a shell exploded near the jeep.

"If I'd been driving the jeep, that would've been me," Kelly said. "You can't help but think about that. If you go through a war and come back, you have a lot to be thankful for."

Kelly was one of at least three Sand Mountain residents who journeyed to Washington, D.C., as members of the first-ever Valor Flight on Nov. 12.

Albertville resident Alton Hester and Horton resident Melvin Nixon also took the trip to D.C.

Valor Flight, a nonprofit organization based in Madison, is dedicated to providing a free trip for Korean War veterans who live in the Tennessee Valley, so they can visit their memorial in the nation's capital for a day of remembrance. The organization's goal is to reach veterans who served in the Korean War from 1950-53.

The organization provided the flight, daylong tour and meals at no charge to the veterans. The trip was funded by personal and corporate donations.

The flight departed from Huntsville International Airport about 6:30 a.m. and landed in D.C. around 10 a.m. More than 100 Korean War veterans toured the memorials, ate and returned to Huntsville by about 8:30 p.m.

Highlights included a stop at Arlington National Cemetery and a chance to watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

But the reason the three men flew to D.C. was to see the Korean War Veterans Memorial. Dedicated in 1995, the memorial represents the 1.5 million Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard men and women who fought in the war, according to the Valor Flight website.

During the three years of hostilities from June 1950 to July 1953, a total of 54,200 Americans reportedly died.

"The Korean Memorial reminded us all of being in Korea," Kelly said.

Guardians escorted each of the veterans. Hester was visibly emotional when he talked about the guardians, many of them young adults volunteering their Saturday to make sure the day was special for the veterans.

"They treated us like royalty," Hester said. "I don't know how anybody can do more. Every time you turned around, somebody was thanking you for something you did 60 years ago. I wasn't accustomed to that. I can't thank them enough. I don't think you'd find one single solitary person on that trip that didn't enjoy it.

"The young person that greeted me in Washington had all kinds of alternatives to spend her Saturday, but she chose to spend it with one old GI that had been to Korea. It tells me our young people are a lot better than we give them credit for. I was very impressed. It's something that gets to you."

Hester had visited D.C. before but indicated the Valor Flight felt more meaningful.

"It's a lot different going back with a bunch of GIs with common experiences," Hester said. "I met a guy in the same regiment I was in."

Hester was "touched" by the receptions they received in Huntsville and D.C., noting the contrast from when he returned from the Korean War.

"We had a super reception in Huntsville and in Washington," Hester said. "It was a lot different when we came home from the war. When we landed in Seattle, not one single soul was there to welcome us. But I didn't care. I was back here."

The Valor Flight acknowledged the Forgotten War by calling the trip "Flight of the Not Forgotten."

"The country didn't pay much attention to the Korean War," Hester said. "I was drafted and went because I was supposed to go. I very willingly went. There are some experiences I wouldn't take anything in the world for, and there are some experiences I wouldn't want to go through again."

For Nixon, the trip was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He especially liked the portion of the monument where 19 stainless steel statues, each more than 7 feet tall, depict men on patrol.

"That was the first time I'd ever been up there," Nixon said. "When I saw that monument ... that was real touching. All these guys going to battle had on ponchos."

Hester was struck by the detail in the faces of the statues.

"That was the most realistic thing you've ever seen," Hester said. "That look in their eyes ... their eyes had a very intense look."

Valor Flight is planning another trip in 2012 and is requesting donations. One trip costs about $100,000.

Personal and corporate tax-deductible donations are accepted online using the donate button at www.valorflight.com or mail donations to: Valor Flight, P.O. Box 1353, Madison, AL 35758.

Kelly thanked the organizers for giving the aging Korean War veterans a chance to see their monument. Kelly, Hester and Nixon are all 80 years or older.

"It was an exciting trip," Kelly said. "We did it in remembrance of those that didn't come back."