Original colony kid and WWII Veteran taking off on “Honor Flight” to D.C

PALMER — Larry Vasanoja frequents the Palmer Elks Lodge near Finger Lake. He’s often seen wearing his blue hat with “Matanuska-Valley Colonists & Descendants 1955 75 years, 2010 Palmer, Alaska” sewn in gold.

Vasanoja is a WWII veteran and this weekend, he’s heading to Washington D.C. for an “Honor Flight” alongside his daughter, Cindy Vasanoja Corey and the company of fellow veterans, mostly from WWII. The Honor Flight, as the name implies, is not only a trip, but a recognition for a veteran’s service in the military, honoring all branches.

“World War II veterans seem to be getting more recognition lately,” Vasanoja mused over his drink.

This will be Vasanoja’s first time on the Honor Flight after years of fellow Elks, his kin and everyone else urging him to go. He said that he didn’t feel like he “earned it” since he had an office job in his home state (which was still considered “overseas” as far as the military was concerned). He never saw any combat. He said that he only wore his class A uniform and his pajamas. He eventually changed his mind after two years thinking about it.

“Now I’m more curious and they’re pushing me more,” Vasanoja said.

Vasanoja is a charter member of the Palmer Elks Club, meaning he is one of the last remaining founders of that branch. The Elks Club is helping pay for Cindy’s travel expenses, Vasanoja said. He’s looking forward to taking the trip with his daughter. The tour is packed pretty full with activities, including a trip to the Arlington military cemetery.

Vasanoja was drafted straight out of high school. He served in the Army Air Corps from 1943 to 1946. He worked in the personnel department and message center on the Elmendorf military base, managing and updating every enlisted Alaskan’s records. He said that he had no prior experience behind a desk, but they must have seen his aptitude for it. Plus, as a local, he was considerably convenient for the military and apparently gave cause for “special treatment” during his service. He climbed the ranks during his service, from a private first class to corporal to sergeant. His carpenter father worked on the base for years, working on many projects like replacing storm windows.

Vasanoja’s family came up from Minnesota with the original wave of colonists, homesteading in Palmer during as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. Vasanoja was 11 when his family took the train to San Francisco before boarding a huge ship alongside other families looking for a new start. He remembered how all of San Francisco was buzzing with excitement. The colonial families headed up north stirred national romanticism and keen interest. This brought reporters from all over to capture a national milestone. Vasanoja and his family headed north as the nation flipped pages through the next chapters of history: recovering from the Great Depression before the eventual bombing of Pearl Harbor and entry into the great war.

Although his father came from a farming family and knew his way around the fields, Vasanoja preferred to work as a carpenter. After his family settled, his father eventually handed off the farm to his son so he could focus on projects building roads, buildings and the like. The Colonists were expected to live off of their farm’s production and weren’t allowed to work anywhere else.

“When World War II rolled around, everything changed. That gave my dad a chance to get off the farm and get me on the farm,” Vasanoja said.

Back when Vasanoja was first drafted, it was uncertain where he would go and what he would do. Those who were drafted were sent wherever the military felt they needed them the most. He said the Palmer school’s gymnasium held a dance every Friday. He showed up to the dance wearing his new uniform, a 18 year old graduate, a Palmer-raised farmhand. He ran into the president of the draft board, Harry DeLand, someone he’s known for years.

“Palmer — you knew everyone at the time,” Vasanoja said.

Many of Vasanoja’s classmates were drafted. DeLand put his arm around Vasanoja with tears in his eyes. He said to the young man, “we sure didn’t want to put you guys in the military, but we had to.”

Vasanoja said he figured he would to end up serving anyway. DeLand was also part of the American Legion and mentioned to Vasanoja that he could join now.

“I joined the American Legion that weekend and I’ve been a member ever since,” Vasanoja said.

In Vasanoja’s case he “lucked out” because they wanted someone local for the job on Elmendorf. After his service, he got a job at Alaska Sales and Service, a new company at the time. He worked there until the early 1990’s when he had to quit work due to continued heart complications. At 94 years old, seven bypass surgeries later and a pacemaker put in last year, Vasanoja decided now would be as good a time as any to make use of the opportunity to travel.

“I always wanted to be a snow bird but I could never make it,” he laughed.

Everyone who walked into the bar greeted Vasanoja warmly. He said that after a few sips of his first drink, his lips loosen and the stories start flowing.