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With two of his children, Case went to Columbia and got on a bus for St. Louis Tuesday, Nov. 10. There, he and about 65 other veterans, their family members and sponsors took a plane to Baltimore, Md., which was paid for by Honor Flight. Soon after, he was at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where he finally saw the memorial.
There, he said, several government officials, including Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., took time to greet him and his fellow veterans, speak to them and thank them for their service.
He even got to meet someone who had been on the vessel on which Case later served, the USS Birmingham. This person served on the Birmingham during the Battle of Leyte Gulf on Oct. 24, 1944, when it was damaged while assisting the USS Princeton in extinguishing fires, though the Princeton was lost that day and a total of 263 American sailors were killed.
The first time Case heard about the loss, he cried, and hearing about it again, he said, gave him "a chance to cry again," but this time his tears were "wholesome."
"It was a fantastic welcome," he said of his experience at the memorial.
But that wasn't the high point of Case's trip.
It began when his bus neared Kingdom City on its return trip. There, he found a pair of police cruisers and 80 motorcycles waiting to escort the bus into Columbia.
Through the streets, there were others standing and cheering. At the hotel, there were so many cars belonging to persons awaiting the veterans' arrival that the bus had difficulty entering the parking lot.
Although it was "not exactly a ticker-tape parade," Case said he was very appreciative of the time and mindfulness of those who greeted the veterans.
The next morning, he awoke to a packet of thank-you letters from schoolchildren and adults outside his hotel room door.
"This was all unexpected. I did what I did not to get thanks, but because I was a citizen of this country," he said. "I was willing and able to go and help us be a free country."
The experience he shared with fellow veterans, he said, was "personal and emotional."
But he couldn't have had that experience without donations to Honor Flight.
"Somebody paid my way," he said.
Contact Geoff Rands at marshallreporter@socket.net
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I have been around airports when they bring the Vets off the Planes in D.C. and when I was there, they announced the Vets names as they were debarking the planes for these Honor Flights. What impressed me most was that in the hustle and bustle of trying to make their connecting flights, people stopped and cheered and applauded our Vets. For many of these people, it is their first time going to D.C. to see the awesome memorials that are in that City.
I had the pleasure of going with my father for his first visit to DC and it was worthy of my time.
awesome!!!
Great story!
Great story of a very deserving man. I have worked with Rev. Case and found him to be one of the most caring and conscientious persons I ever knew. No doubt in my mind he did what was asked of him and served with honor during WWII. He is one of thousands who we have to thank for our way of life.
It is also heartwarming to hear how so many people got together to honor him and fellow vets.
I heard his story from him personally. I had tears when he was finished. It was a wonderful trip for such a deserving, giving man. And for his children to be able to accompany him was priceless.
This is such a neat way to honor those veterans who served during WWII. To have citizens greet them in Baltimore and again back in Columbia when they returned was truly a wonderful finish to an emotional journey for all of the gentlemen. I have donated for this cause whenever I see one of their fundraisers, as much as I could afford anyway. I'm delighted to personally see how much it meant to Rev. Case.