As young boys growing up near Pachuta, William and Richard Smith never dreamed they'd be just two of the many hundreds of thousands of troops, sailors and airmen of WW II that would defend the freedoms of people all over the world.
Now, in their later years, the two men found a need to acknowledge all those they served with whom the Smith brothers saw die during the horrors of war. Part of that healing process of friends lost would come in the form of a trip the two have wanted to take since 2004.
"We both would've liked to have gone overseas to see some of the places in France such as the Normandy coast but this trip made more sense considering our travel limitations," said William Smith, the younger of the two at 85 years old. "We were lucky to get to go on this trip and enjoyed it greatly."
In 2004 the WW II Memorial was completed and dedicated in Washington, D.C. It was a dream for the two men to see the memorial, to make peace with what they did during the war.
Thanks to William Smith's son-in-law, Donald Cook of Huntsville, Ala., the two brothers were able to get an Honor Flight from Huntsville to Washington, D.C. earlier this year. William Smith said there was no way he and Richard could drive that far by vehicle. They knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The Tennessee Chapter of the Honor Flight came through for them.
"Honor Flight is made up of volunteers who provide air travel for veterans and it didn't cost us a penny," said Smith. "We are so very grateful to them and I am very pleased Donald could arrange this for us."
Honor Flight is a non profit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. Top priority is given to the senior veterans — WW II survivors along with those other veterans that may be terminally ill. Honor Flight first flew in May 2005 with six small planes flying 12 WW II veterans. In 2006, with a waiting list of veterans expanding rapidly, Honor Flight transitioned to commercial airline carriers to accommodate the maximum number of veterans as possible.
Based on recent statistics, approximately 1,200 WW II veterans are lost per day.
William Smith was a crew chief making sure fighter planes were in tip top shape for their pilots of the 3rd Air Force of the US Army Air Corps. He was stationed in Panama as those pilots conducted patrols to keep the Panama Canal open to shipping and free of roaming enemy submarines.
Richard Smith, 87, saw extensive action as a tank commander with the 748th Tank Battalion of Gen. George Patton's Third Army. He participated in the breakout from the Normandy hedgerow country and the Battle of the Bulge counter-offensive that ultimately helped drive the German army out of Belgium. William Smith admitted his older brother saw much more of the war's horrors than he did but having served where he was needed, both men knew the cost it took in men and material to gain the victory.
"It was really great for the two of us to go to the memorial together," said William Smith. "He saw more action than I did but we lost some people, too. I had friends who didn't come back."
Once on the grounds of the memorial, William Smith said there was a sense of honor and respect you could almost taste. He was both amazed and touched at the reverence visitors there at the time of their visit afforded all the veterans in attendance.
"It really gets to you," said William Smith, trying to put into words the feelings that came flooding out of him once he stepped into the ring of the memorial. "It was an awesome place but at the same time there was a solemn air of respect for those who fought. It's kind of hard to explain but when I left I had a strong sense of peace."
William Smith said his brother, Richard, is not the talker he is. Sitting in his wheelchair, Richard Smith quietly talked with his brother pointing out little known facts that Richard Smith had never spoken of before. And although he still wouldn't pull deep from the memories of what a young man saw all those years ago on the battlefield, Richard Smith told his brother that it was good that he came.
"He felt it was an experience of a lifetime," said William Smith.
William Smith said he hopes Honor Flights will begin to transport veterans from somewhere in Mississippi. Currently veterans have to go to a neighboring state in order to catch a flight.
"I hope other veterans get to go and see it like we did," William Smith said finally. "I wouldn't trade that trip for anything."
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