Despite government shut-down, Brother Leo Ryan gets to enjoy Honor Flight

by Br. Leo V. Ryan, CSV

(Editor's Note: The following article is an account submitted by Waukon native Brother Leo V. Ryan, CSV of his October 5 Chicago Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. Brother Ryan is the last living Viatorian World War II veteran in the American province of the Clerics of St. Viator. He served as an infantry NCO (non-commissioned officer) and Acting Sgt. Major at Camp Roberts, CA before his appointment to the Command Staff of Admiral W.H.P. Blandy Operations CrossRoad, which in 1946 tested the fourth and fifth atom bombs in Bikini Atoll in the Marshall and Caroline Islands. He also served on the command ship USS Mt. McKinley (AGC-7), helping to organize a USS Mt. McKinley reunion association, and was twice national chaplain and twice cited for distinguished service in 1991 and 1996.)

World War II Veteran Honor Flights have become increasingly popular and more numerous. The flights are sponsored by voluntary organizations, in most states, including Iowa and Illinois. They are usually sponsored by an airport city volunteer group which draws World War II Veterans from a surrounding geographical area.
The Standard has published stories, or post-flight interviews, from Allamakee County veterans who have made the Honor Flights to Washington, D.C. to visit the World War II monument. This report about my Chicago Honor Flight 53 from October 2 reflects a particularly unique flight threatened by the September 30 federal government “shut-down”.
Not only was the WWII Monument “closed down” by the government shut-down but all other national monuments and national parks are closed because they are part of the Federal government. Chicago Honor Flight 53 was planned in detail long before that October 2 date.
I was nominated for the flight in August 2013. My paperwork was completed in early September. My designated flight was assigned for October 2. Chicago Honor Flights' current policy is flying WWII Veterans only. However, they are beginning “to accept applications for Korean and Vietnam War Veterans. When we no longer have WWII Veterans interested in flying with us, we will begin flying Korean War Veterans,” states the organization. Chicago Honor Flight volunteers expect to be busy for years to come!
Here is some background about the Chicago Honor Flights. They began in February 2008. Mary Pettinato is considered author of the Chicago idea. One day in 2007 Mary was having breakfast with her WWII Veteran father, Gene Coschigaso (North Africa and Italy). She asked if he were on his death bed what he would most have liked to have done. He said he would like to have seen the WWII National Monument in D.C.
Mary took her father and mother to Washington, D.C. Their trip had lots of logistical complications. But there she saw Honor Flights from other cities and thus was born her idea. Back in Chicago, Mary discovered no such flight organization existed in Chicago. So she, with Jean Marie and Nancy Kopp and Suzan Stanits, joined together as co-founders. They founded a 501c3 organization: Honor Flight Chicago. Mary Pettinato today is CEO. She signs her letters: “Co-Founder (and janitor)”.
A former Marquette student, Dick Schermerhorn of Shorwood, WI, first suggested the idea to me. With his nomination, I was contacted by Honor Flight Chicago volunteer, Ms. Pat Ischinger, about the detailed application. Co-founder Mary Pettinato followed up with a detailed letter and phone conversations.
Three flights remained in the Chicago 15 May to October 2013 series: September 12, October 2 and October 30. October 2 was the flight we mutually agreed upon. Patrick Mathews, Chicago Corporate Ambassador, was our flight contact. We were alerted that “last-minute changes sometime occur”. Little did we anticipate what actually occurred!
October 1, the first day of the government “shut-down”, Honor Flights from around the country showed up in D.C. at the WWII Memorial. It is located in the Federal Mall between the Lincoln Memorial (closed) and the Washington Monument (closed for several years for repairs).  The WWII monument has been called “The Jewel of the Mall”. It has been described as “A masterpiece of artistic, architectural and historical design, with classical theme, columns for eagles, wreaths, rope and stars and intricate bronze works and fountains." The Wall of Stars includes 4,048 gold stars. Each star represents 1,000 Americans who died during the war.
But, as a government monument, it was closed that day due to the government shut-down. The usual barricades had been constructed with “Closed” signs widely posted.
Veterans arriving October 1 had flown miles to visit “their Monument,” now primarily open space. They were irritated, angry and agitated. As Kathleen Parker later wrote in her nationally syndicated column, “These elderly warriors took a page from their Normandy playbook and stormed the barricades.”
John Kass (Chicago Tribune) commented, “They just pushed their way through. Old men in wheelchairs, some using canes, some 'whip thin' and upright with their families, just walked in.”
The press and TV responded in a frenzy of stories, photos and commentary about the WWII Monument closed to WWII Veterans.
Those of us hearing the uproar and scheduled for the October 2 Honor Flight were in a quandary. Would we even fly? If the flight was on, would we be refused entry? And what about other monuments? Would we be able to visit monuments to the Korean War or the Vietnam Wall or even Arlington Cemetery?
Our schedule for October 2 was precise. Be prepared for a 0245 pick-up by a volunteer military escort. Mine was Captain Michael Stockreiter, USN (Ret.). Coincidentally, he was a student of mine at Marquette University.
He was to bring myself and another Arlington Heights veteran to Midway Airport for a 0415 “check-in”. Captain Stockreiter picked me up at 0245. We were to pick up John (Jack) Muldoon at 0300. I had never met him. Another coincidence occurred. When Jack was a student at Catholic University of America he was secretary to the Chairman, Department of Psychology and Psychiatry, Fr. John W. Stafford. Fr. Stafford was a fellow Viatorian who later became my Provincial Superior (1959-1969).
With light traffic that early in the morning we reached Midway by 0330. Nearly 100 Honor Flight volunteers with green t-shirts were already there to assist the 91 veterans scheduled for the flight. Wheelchairs were issued. Guardians (helpers) were appointed. We were registered, photographed and assigned to tour buses in Washington We met our volunteer Bus Captain, Andre Ammeloux, and Assistant Captain, Donna Turner. We met other veterans as they arrived. We were again issued “Marching Orders,” a duplicate of the “Marching Orders” mailed to us at home.
We were 91 WWII Veterans. In age we ranged from 85 to 93, with the average being 88. There were three at 93, one at 92 and two age 90. At age 86, I felt somewhat of a junior veteran. Our service profile was mostly Army, only a few from the Navy and Air Force and one from the Coast Guard.
Our Southwest Airline flight crew included two medical doctors, four RNs, three photographers and an additional 40 green-shirt volunteers scheduled as guardians (helpers) for the day. My Midway to Dulles and Dulles to Midway guardian was Jennifer Ann Conway, RN.
Our day was compact. We had breakfast at Midway. Our 7:30 a.m. flight was scheduled to arrive in Washington Dulles by 9:15 a.m. A lunch box was provided upon arrival. We proceeded in four different buses to Washington. Our first stop was at the World War II Monument.
We were met by Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk (in wheel chair), along with military officers. We met more assigned guardians (helpers). In D.C. I was assigned an experienced local volunteer guardian, Mrs. Line Kerr. She guided my wheelchair all day with great skill.
Illinois Congressman Mike Quigley introduced an entry in The Congressional Record, October 2, 2013, “Honoring the World War II Veterans of Illinois”. A copy of the Resolution was given to each of us. All 91 of us were named in the Resolution.
We were permitted to spend time (three hours) at the Memorial. No others were admitted. Using my camera, Line proved to have an eye for interesting photos. I now have a collection of 70 photos. Before leaving Dulles enroute home, Line downloaded my photos to the HonorflightChicago.org website for viewers' interest.
What was the technicality under which we were admitted? The appeal was to the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. Amendment One relates to the “right of citizens to assemble”. It was ruled that “World War II Veterans from Illinois had the right to assemble in the World War II Monument in Washington, D.C. October 1, 2013”.
No one else was admitted. Three regular Monument staff volunteered, without pay, to come October 2 to accommodate our presence. They did not enter the Monument. Because people could see us on the Monument grounds they advised tourists that the Monument was closed except to Illinois WWII Veterans.
At the end of the day we assembled for a group photo. A color guard appeared and we were all photographed saluting the flag. The photo was developed and each of us received a copy during the homeward flight to Chicago.
After our visit at the World War II Monument we enjoyed our box lunch. We proceeded in four buses for a guided tour of official Washington Public Monuments with a professional local guide. We were introduced to the principal cabinet office buildings, Bureau of Printing and Engraving and The Holocaust Museum. We enjoyed a one-hour visit to the new PRESS Museum. There we had time to pursue the five floors of unique newspaper and TV exhibits. We were filmed and appeared on TV screens throughout our museum visit.
We continued our tour with a visit to the new Air Force Memorial. We were able to view the Pentagon Memorial to those who lost their lives at the Pentagon during the 9/11 plane crash into the Pentagon. Both memorials were in Virginia so they were not affected by the “federal shut-down”.
Our concluding visit was to Arlington Cemetery for the 5:00 p.m. Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. That ceremony is always impressive and memorable, but especially that day, for us veterans. We also visited the grave site of Audie Murphy, WWII's most decorated soldier.
Our D.C. visit ended when we returned to (John Foster) Dulles Airport in Virginia. Upon arrival a buffet dinner was waiting for us. Then we boarded our “Homeward Bound” - a flight which is every service man and woman’s delight! We had one woman veteran with our 91, and saying “good-bye” to me she remarked, “Next reunion we will meet on the other side - heaven”.
The homeward flight included a surprise “Mail Call”! “Mail Call” was reminiscent of service days - a highlight of every service day, if one got mail, and especially overseas! Each of us received a packet of letters. All “Mail Call” packets included three distinct letter groups. One group of letters included letters from President Barak Obama, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Congressman Dan Lipinski, and 40 other letters from various leading Chicago area citizens. A second group of 20 letters was from third, fourth and fifth grade school children. The third group was a surprise for everyone - letters from family and friends solicited by a Honor Flight volunteer from certain “point people” among our family and friends. They encouraged family and friends to write notes/letters to us. My “family/friend packet” numbered 40 letters.
But, for most of us, a bigger surprise was yet to come upon arrival at Midway Airport. At Midway, but before disembarking, the Chicago Fire Department was there to give us a “Water Cannon Salute”! Once we spilled into the gangway and entered the airport, we were saluted by an honor guard, serenaded by bagpipes, met by 100 sailors and a cheering crowd of over 500. All came to greet us! The theme of the evening was “Thank you for your service”.
A pathway was created by dividing the crowd into two lines - one on each side of the airport lobby. Each WWII Veteran was assigned a wheel chair and a sailor guardian. Each of us moved along one of the welcoming lines. People were of all ages: elderly, mid-life, young and school children, Boy and Girl Scouts, and even “little people” with their patriotic parents.
The day had been long. We were tired. But how could we not be energized by such enthusiasm - and such sincere expressions of “Thank you for your service”. People were reaching out to us to grasp or shake our hand. Along my line the count was over 250 handshakes!
As the line thinned out and came to an end there was my morning military escort, Captain Michael Stockreiter, waiting to take Jack Muldoon and myself home to Arlington Heights. We had yet another hour of travel. I reached the Viatorian Province Center where I live at 11:30 p.m. - the end of a 22-hour day!  It was off to bed! I slept 12 hours straight and even took the rest of Thursday and Friday off!
For me, the WWII Chicago Honor Flight 53 was an extraordinary, exciting and emotional experience - a day to live forever in my memory!