'I'm so proud': Vets get long-overdue welcome after trip to D.C. memorials
From the time William Koerber stepped off the Southwest Airlines flight from Washington, D.C., Wednesday night, the 84-year-old Hazel Crest man was greeted with nonstop salutes as he walked through Midway Airport.
He was met by Army National Guardsmen, Great Lakes Naval Station personnel and Chicago Police and Fire Department bagpipers, among others, before reaching his family and other well-wishers near the baggage claim.
(Tom Cruze/Sun-Times)
"I'm so proud," said Koerber, who served on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific during WWII. "I wish every veteran could have the same opportunity."
It was a parade a long time coming for Koerber, one of 80 WWII veterans who spent the day in D.C. visiting war veteran memorials, courtesy of Honor Flight Chicago. The year-old program flies vets to the capital for free.
"You hear the stories where there was no one around to welcome them and thank them for their service," said Bob Stone, program manager for USO of Illinois. "This is the first real welcome they've received."
About 400 local veterans are on the waiting list for memorial flights.