UKIAH — It dawned on Jacqueline Bradley about a year ago that it won”t be long before all the World War II veterans are gone — and that meant most of them would never see the memorial that honors them in Washington, D.C.
Bradley started thinking about this after a speaker at a gathering of her South Ukiah Rotary Club (SURC) talked about the North Coast Honor Flight program, which was offering WW II vets a free-of-charge trip to the nation”s capital to visit the memorial that was built in 2004.
Bradley, the assistant dean of financial aid at Mendocino College, thought of her father, who died in 1988 — 16 years before the memorial was built.
“I think he would have enjoyed it,” Bradley said of LeRoy Hack, a Marine who served in the Pacific campaign. “But I think he”d be like a lot World War II veterans who have to be pushed and cajoled into going.”
Bradley and other SURC members are doing some cajoling this month to convince World War II and Korean War vets in Lake and Mendocino counties to take them up on their offer to send them to Washington to visit the memorial.
One would think an all-expenses-paid trip to the nation”s capital, which comes with a support crew that includes a physician, would be an easy sell, but according to Bradley, veterans of that era often don”t view themselves as war heroes deserving of any special treatment.
“They don”t think they did anything that special, especially if they weren”t on the frontlines,” she said. “The hardest part is convincing them that they deserve to go.”
Bradley”s message to WW II and Korean vets: You deserve to go. Get your calendars out and clear Oct. 24 through 27 for some long-overdue recognition — along with some bonding with fellow vets who, in the view of Tom Brokaw (among others), comprise “The Greatest Generation” in American history.
The number of surviving WW II vets is shrinking every day. The youngest ones, assuming they were at least 18 years old when the war ended, are in their mid-80s now.
“Once we get them talked into going, I know they”ll appreciate it,” Bradley said.
There”s room for 50 veterans and 25 “guardians” on the October trip, and Bradley said there”s still about 20 seats reserved for veterans that she hopes to fill.
One guardian will be attached to every three “mobile” vets, but if a veteran needs more assistance during the trip, he or she will get it.
“We”ll match them one-on-one if the veteran requires it,” she said.
The guardians, by the way, are not just volunteers — they”re donating $1,000 to be part of the experience.
Bradley, SURC”s current president, was tempted to get involved in the Honor Flight program after first hearing about it last year.
“But the timing wasn”t exactly right. When the speaker came from the Eureka Rotary (a year ago) to tell us about it, we just weren”t ready to take it on.”
They took it on this year as the Mendocino County Honor Flight program, and SURC is busy raising money for the October trip as well as for possible future trips. Bradley said the response has been encouraging.
“Southwest Airlines is donating the round-trip tickets. And individuals are sending in whatever they can afford — $5, $10, even $100,” she said. “The communities really want to honor these veterans. We have the support to send them. Now it”s just a matter of locating the veterans and convincing them to take the trip.”
A prime rib dinner fundraiser is set for Oct. 5 at Barra”s Winery in Ukiah.
For more information about the Mendocino Honor Flight program, go to www.southukiahrotary.org, where applications are available, or call Liqua-Tech at 462-3555.
Rich Mellott is a staff reporter for Lake County Publishing. Reach him at rmellott@record-bee.com or 263-5636, ext. 14.
