Fundraiser puts old soldier ‘at ease’

Even though I feel uncomfortable in crowds (a side effect of my PTSD, brought on by my time in the war in Iraq), I felt OK going to this event.

Maybe it was due to it being full of fellow GIs. I feel more at home with them. No wonder why; I spent most of adult life as a soldier in the U.S. Army. This time it was going to a little different. This time, we were gathering to raise money for our aging brothers and sisters. We may have worn different uniforms, carried different weapons, fought enemies in different wars, but we all shared a lot in common. Namely, we all served this nation in one way or another. Some of us served during some very dark times.

So I put on my best boots, my inspection pair of jump boots that were buffed to a high gloss shine with my jeans pulled over their shinny tops, plus my leather flight jacket topped of with my hat proudly emblazoned in bright gold letters: “U.S. Army Retired.” I hopped into my car and drove up the Parks Highway a short spell to my destination.

The accordion band was lively as I stepped inside. I felt better being here. I was looking for Ron Travis, who was busy making sure everything was going to plan. We met and talked briefly before he was off again. I told him the Frontiersman had sent me to the fundraiser to work on a followup story to an article written by Frontiersman reporter Greg Johnston. (See “Honor Flight fulfills last mission for Alaska WW-2 veterans” in the Sept. 16 edition.)

But this time the words would be from a veteran’s point of view. His eyes lit up and he smiled, one veteran to another. Travis is a Navy veteran from the Vietnam-era.

I found a table in the dining section, ordered my steak and began to write.

Now I bet you are wondering just where I was on that clear Friday night Sept. 20? I was attending a fundraiser for the Last Frontier Honor Flight at American Legion Post No. 35, off Mile 46, Parks Highway.

I had a good time stuffing my face with steak and baked potato before drifting from the dining area to the meeting hall and then the bar and back again. It reminded me of being on post, off duty after a long day on the airfield or motor pool, cranking wrenches to keep a Huey helicopter flying in Germany during the last years of the Cold War or prepping that HUMV for the next mission in wartime Iraq years later.

Even the dinning area felt like a mess hall. The bar also felt like I was back in an NCO club, or officer’s club as we called them. It was filled with GIs, a little older, a little grayer and more than a few with beards. This time none of us was in uniform and some vets had their wives with them, too.

Still, that feeling, that common vibe, was strong.

Last Frontier Honor Flight was founded in January and is the newest chapter of the Honor Flight system, which was formed in 2005 with a mission to fly veterans to Washington, D.C. The September fundraiser was one in a series of events organized to help send a group of Alaska veterans on an Honor Flight this month.

The four-day trip includes tours of the various memorials erected there in honor of the service and sacrifices they made during some of the nation’s darkest hours. The whole trip costs the veterans nothing. But support staff who travel with them pay for their own travel and hotel accommodations, hence the fundraiser. The current emphasis is on veterans of World War II and the Korean War, including Merchant Marines and those who served in the Alaska Territorial Guard. But time is not on our side. The membership of these veterans among the living is dwindling fast.

After some problems with the IRS to get their charity status and the help of U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski straightening out that mess, the word was “go.” The first flight of 25 Alaska Veterans, plus an equal number of support staff, leaves this month, according to Howard Robb, 1st vice commander of Post 35. He is a Vietnam-era navy submariner.

I met Terry Archibald, vice president of the Last Frontier Honor Flight charity, when I wandered from the bar back into the meeting hall during the baked food auction. The auction was lively and raised about $500 for the cause.

I asked Archibald about the Alaska Territorial Guard veterans. She told me it is an ongoing struggle to find them since most are scattered throughout Alaska’s villages and towns, coupled with red tape from a variety of agencies. Their vital service during World War II and the Cold War that followed is one that must be honored. The Honor Flights are one very good way to honor these uniquely Alaskan veterans.

“I would love to see a plane full of them,” Archibald said.

“So would I,” I replied.

Just about everyone from post commander on down to the cooks asked me to help spread the word about the Honor Flights. But this effort isn’t just about veterans helping veterans. This is an opportunity for a grateful nation to say thank you in a very powerful way.

But time is not our friend. About every 90 seconds a World War II or Korean War-era veteran dies.

I left the Legion hall feeling like an old GI should. It was a well-needed boost for me. I hung out with fellow GIs, swapped some tall tales and ate a killer steak dinner with all the fixings.

For more information, visit tlhonorflight.org, call (877) 560-8542 or write to Last Frontier Honor Flight, P.O Box 520116, Big Lake, AK, 99652-0116.

Wasilla resident Daniel D. Grota retired from the U.S. Army after more than 21 years of service.