WWII veteran Johnson visits D.C. memorial

HONORED — Lee Johnson salutes during a ceremony during his recent visit to the National WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C. See Pages 8-11 of this week's Star Eagle for additional Memorial Day coverage. (Submitted photo)

By TROY THOMPSON

Contributing Writer

It took nearly 60 years from the end of World War II for the National WWII Memorial to open for public viewing in Washington, D.C. On April 11 of this year, nearly 70 years after the war ended, 90-year-old WWII veteran Lee Johnson of Ellendale was able see it in person.

“It was a trip of a lifetime,” said Johnson while paging through a thick photograph album of his trip. “There were people everywhere, and wherever you went, they were always saying ‘thank you for your service.’”

The one-day jaunt to visit a number of war memorials in Washington, D.C., was made possible by Honor Flight - Twin Cities, a non-profit organization that is part of a national Honor Flight network in all 50 states.

Founded shortly after the WWII Memorial opened, the organization provides complimentary flights, tours and other perks for WWII veterans who have never had the chance to see the nation’s tribute to their service. Due to the gap between the end of the war and the opening of the memorial, the organization recognized a need to assist an aging veteran pool to visit the memorial.

After Johnson’s second wife’s daughter filled out an online application, Johnson was selected for the April 11 Honor Flight out of Minneapolis along with approximately 80 other veterans.

His daughter, Connie, accompanied him as a guardian to assist him on the trip. Guardians accompany each veteran and make a $500 tax-deductible contribution to the Honor Flight organization to help offset the expenses for the trip.

The trip spares no expense and lacks no effort from those involved to help it truly live up to its name.

“We landed at the airport in Washington, and there were two lines of people waiting to shake our hands and give us a squeeze,” said Lee. “Everywhere we went, we were thanked and recognized.”

Fully-uniformed active-duty service personnel also greeted the group at full attention and precision salutes.

The timing of Johnson’s trip coincided with the city’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival, so the crowds were even bigger than usual. But that was no problem for those being honored on this trip.

“We had three buses and they gave us a police escort during the trip,” recalled Johnson. “If we ever got stuck in traffic, the sirens were on so we just peeled right through. It was quite the deal.”

Connie agreed.

“It was really a wonderful experience,” she said. “At every point along the way they were treated very respectfully and honorably. It was an emotional, spiritual, respectful and amazing situation.”

During the whirlwind day, the itinerary included the Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, WWII Memorial, Air Force Memorial, Korea and Vietnam Memorials, and other sights.

Johnson, who began his military service in Company C of the 131st Army Battalion, finished his time in Guam with the 20th Air Force 30th Weather Squadron. He said seeing the Air Force Memorial was a personal highlight of the trip.

“You stand at the bottom and look up at those three, must be 200-foot high spires…that amazed me as much as anything,” he said.

Johnson admitted to feeling humbled by the Honor Flight, and he said he was a little reluctant to feel like he deserved such an honor.

“There were some other guys that felt like that, too,” he said. “But they were adamant, you were in the service and were under orders, so if you served during that time, you had earned it.”

Though Johnson didn’t see first-hand combat in WWII, he came awfully close.

“We were slated for the invasion of Japan,” he said. “We were halfway across the Pacific when old Harry dropped the bombs. From what they said, they were so well fortified that we were basically walking into a suicide mission if we would have landed.”

After Japan surrendered, Johnson was diverted to the Philippines and island-hopped for awhile before finally settling in Guam until returning home in August of 1947.

Upon his return home on the Honor Flight, he was again greeted by loved ones and full military honors before assembling for a late-night reception hosted by the Honor Flight organization.

“Every veteran should go on that trip if they can,” said Johnson. “It’s such an honorable flight and amazing experience, everyone deserves it.”

Honor Flight is currently open to all veterans of WWII and is expanding to include veterans of the Korean War. Vietnam veterans may also be added in the near future.

If you know a veteran you’d like to honor with an Honor Flight, you can learn more at www.honorflighttwincities.org or www.honorflight.org.