The World War II veterans — all 92 of them — rolled into Midway Airport before dawn.
With guardians to push their wheelchairs, they were checked in, photographed and deployed to their gate.
By 7 a.m., one 94-year-old vet had popped out of his chair to dance to “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and other Andrew Sisters favorites performed by the Legacy Girls. A retired two-star general posed for photographs with bystanders.
As a young Navy commander made his way through the crowd shaking hands and thanking his elders for their service, an underlying sense of urgency carried the moment.
A generation is passing, seen in the creased faces of those who boarded the plane headed to Washington, D.C., to see the nation’s war memorials, some for the first time.
This Veterans Day, that sense of urgency is especially acute among the hundreds of Honor Flight Chicago volunteers as they race against time to find every last living World War II vet. Year-round, they phone vets, enlist on-flight medical teams, arrange for food and compile letters from schoolchildren for a “mail call” on the plane. No detail is too small.
“The logistics of flying 92 90-year-olds out here — it’s an incredible undertaking,” said John Ptak, 40, an organizer. “Everyone pitches in.”
The Chicago organization, one of more than 130 regional Honor Flight nonprofit groups, has organized 61 flights in seven years and is the largest in the nation based on the number of veterans it’s flown — more than 5,300 total. Still, organizers feel pressure to offer many more the free one-day trips to Washington, as they estimate that 25,000 World War II veterans remain in the Chicago area.
“The busiest time of the year is when the flights stop,” said Jeanne Polydoris, of Lake Forest, a volunteer who has spoken at senior centers and visited homes. “We have to go out and mine for the veterans, get them their paperwork and remind them to get their paperwork in, to get medical records in.”
Each veteran has a story — as do the volunteers who often have military backgrounds or know a parent or grandparent who was part of the Silent Generation.
“They are the most resilient group of guys you will see,” said Rob Williamson, a volunteer photographer who posts thousands of pictures taken each trip. “I have to think this is their biggest adrenaline rush in 50 years.”
Williamson took his father on an Honor Flight in 2011, an unforgettable experience, he said.
“I’ve been doing this ever since,” he said. “I think all the volunteers get way more out of this than they give.”
Often, veterans are not easily persuaded to participate because of their age or medical issues. Some hang up on the volunteers, skeptical that the flight is free. But Honor Flight leaders remain undaunted, saying that they know from experience that few veterans regret making the trip.
“It’s taken these guys this long to realize they are heroes,” Ptak said. “You have to persuade some that they deserve to take the trip.”
The organization has grown accomplished at meeting special needs, said Mary Pettinato, co-founder and CEO of Honor Flight Chicago.
Consider the Oct. 1 flight: Onboard were 91 men and one woman, the youngest of whom was 85 and the oldest just days away from turning 101. Five relied on oxygen tanks. Six had diabetes, and others had vision impairments.
More than 700 people played roles in coordinating the single trip, ensuring the vets’ safe passage, with procedures in place to get on and off the plane and bus and bathroom breaks scheduled at every stop. Volunteers arrived at Midway at 3 a.m., where they handed out dog tags to each vet that were identical to those used in the war. They directed veterans to color-coded groups and ushered them through security.
Altogether, about 1,500 volunteers work out of Chicago and Washington on the Honor Flight trips.
“I had one guy come through who said, ‘I haven’t seen anything this organized since I left the service,'” said Dee Starkovich, of Batavia, who volunteers along with her husband, Les.
Ptak signed on to help five years ago and now juggles multiple responsibilities, such as pairing each veteran with a trained guardian, unless they are traveling with a family member. He traveled on six of last summer’s eight flights.
On this trip, he made sure to keep six groups of buddies together, including three men from northwest Indiana who had known each other since grade school.
“I try to pair people who have similarities, who live near each other,” said Ptak, who has made long-lasting friendships with some vets. “Even if it takes a little extra time, if I connect two people on a trip, it’s worth it.”
Ptak has been fascinated by war heroes since childhood, when he would ask his grandfather about the eagle tattoo on his arm. His grandfather served in the Army in Italy during World War II, where he was wounded in action. He died 20 years ago, before his war memorial had been built.
Ptak placed his grandfather’s photo in a flag case that makes every trip to Washington and is displayed during an opening ceremony. There were eight such photos in the case during the October trip, all representing loved ones who died before they could see the memorial. The photos are exchanged with new ones every trip.
Despite having a full-time financial services job, Ptak finds time for Honor Flight duties after his three children have gone to bed.
Going on the trip “changes your perspective,” he said. “A lot of these guys describe the Honor Flight as the second best day of their lives, after marrying their wife.”
Tears streamed down the face of one vet after Washington volunteer Terri Lange embraced him at Dulles International Airport. “These guys are so humble, and it’s our way to thank them and do our little bit,” said Lange, wearing a red, white and blue bow in her hair.
There were also opportunities for levity, such as the reaction of one veteran when he viewed the Korean War memorial for the first time.
“What the hell is this?” he exclaimed. The memorial features ghostlike 7-foot-tall steel statues of soldiers who appear to be walking in a field.
Another veteran wore his full Army uniform the whole day, and quipped: “The suit is 70 years old. I’m a little older.”
While most vets remained in wheelchairs throughout the day, a few, including Leroy Hirsch, 88, of Northbrook, would have none of that.
The retired cardiologist said he bikes 50-60 miles twice a week.
The Honor Flight “is something that brings back memories, good and bad,” he said. “I have never let the war overtake me. … Sometimes veterans feel it was their whole life. Maybe (it was easier) because I didn’t see as much conflict. I tried to not let it get into my psyche.”
During this trip, the veterans met Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and were applauded at various stops throughout the day. Several Chinese tourists asked to have their pictures taken with the veterans. “Happens on every trip,” Ptak said.
Bob Barth, 86, who served in the Navy, said he sometimes feels that people no longer value their country. But not on this day.
“They paid their respect. They saluted,” he said.
After a whirlwind day of sightseeing, the vets returned to Dulles, just outside Washington, D.C., where they were again entertained with 1940s-era music, swing dancing and snacks. A man wearing a colorful zoot suit twirled the wheelchair carrying Madeline Wiener, 92, of Hoffman Estates, as he danced around her.
Wiener, who was a corporal with the Marines, never stopped smiling. “I wasn’t sure if I was up to it,” she said. “It’s been fantastic. … I feel like I’ve been treated really special.”
After a two-hour delay, the vets’ plane arrived at Midway at 11:15 p.m., greeted with a water cannon salute by the Chicago Fire Department.
And yet, their 19-hour day wasn’t over.
As they exited their plane, they were met with a cacophony of cheering, bagpipes and a band and were paraded through a reception line of hundreds of people. Family members, youth groups and bikers wearing leather vests waved flags and clutched flower bouquets and balloons. “Welcome back, grandpa,” one sign read.
Some vets were tearful and speechless. Others waved as if participating in a ticker tape parade.
For the volunteers, it was time to go home — so they could begin planning the next trip.
For information, call 773-227-8387 or go to honorflightchicago.org.
Twitter @LisaBChiTrb
