Local comrades share service

(Photo by Kris Todd) Local World War II veterans Ben Davis, Bob Krile, Stan Andersen, John Blair, Pat Kenney, Don Maschino and Frank Rose, from left, are taking part in an honor flight today which will allow them to tour Washington, D.C., while witnessing the memorial dedicated to their service.

They were finally ranked first to take part in the first-come, first-serve Siouxland Honor Flight offered to veterans of World War II, and they were on their way to Sioux City.

Today, the men who range in age from 81 to 88 have a full day planned.

After taking off from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on a chartered flight, the group is scheduled to fly into Dulles International Airport, where they will receive a heartfelt welcome in the terminal. The Spencer residents will then board three buses with their veteran peers and travel to Washington, D.C.

After spending time at the Iwo Jima Memorial, they will tour the city and then travel to the World War II Memorial. The veteran soldiers and sailors will also visit the Arlington National Cemetery, where they'll witness a changing of the guard,

the World War II comrades will see the Lincoln, Korean and Vietnam memorials before departing for home again.

While those participating in today's historical trek view it as an honor, the majority are also looking forward to viewing the area's memorials and the myriad of names listed on them.

Brief accounts of military service for each of the local participants -- who include Frank Rose, Stanley Andersen, Don Maschino, Bob Krile, Joseph "Pat" Kenney, Ben Davis and John Blair -- follow.

FRANK ROSE

Frank Rose is among the era's "tin can sailors" who served aboard a destroyer warship. As a 19-year-old, Rose enlisted in the Navy in December 1942 with three others from the area, including Bud Ekeberg, who now lives in California, the late John Engelke and the late Don Rossiter.

Rose spent World War II sailing the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic. The second-class petty officer, who served as a storekeeper who requisitioned supplies for his ship, succinctly described his service in saying, "We made four convoy trips to Casablanca when we were still taking it away from the Germans. We made two convoy trips to England, and then we came back to the London area while they were unloading those ships. We made two trips halfway up while taking convoys to Russia. Then, we were on a hunter killer task force, which was five destroyers and an aircraft carrier."

Tears flowed from the Spencer veteran's eyes recently as he reported after taking the aircraft carriers to Norfolk and Boston, his ship joined up with seven more destroyers to take 13 troop transports over from the Normandy Invasion.

"We made two more trips over to England after that, and then I was ashore," the 86-year-old recalled as if it were just yesterday.

After being honorably discharged in April 1946 and marrying his sweetheart, Lucille (McCoy) Rose, in a Methodist church in Elizabeth City, N.C., Rose found himself among the many veterans who found it hard to find a job following the war. After being hired by the late Dale Norton, who owned the local Chevy dealership, and working in the parts department, Rose would later sell cars and serve as the dealership's sales manager before entering the insurance business for 35 years.

STANLEY ANDERSEN

As brother Virgil Andersen joined the Marines and entered the war the day after Pearl Harbor, Stanley Andersen was drafted by the Army on Jan. 29, 1943.

"We were the biggest draft out of Clay County up to that time. There were about 50 of us that went in on that date," he said.

The Spencer High School alumnus spent three weeks at the medical training center in Abilene, Texas, before being sent to El Paso, Texas, to become a surgical technician. Andersen then attended nurses training school to become a male nurse.

"From there, I went to a special school in Denver, Colo. I was then assigned to a station hospital in Camp Tyson, Tenn. From there, three station hospitals got together and made up one large general hospital. We all combined in Augusta, Ga., and got ready to go overseas. We were then shipped over to New Guinea in a staging area. We went to the Philippines shortly after the invasion and we set up our hospital there," he reflected.

Over five months after President Harry Truman ordered the Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, 1945, dropping of atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Andersen was honorably discharged on Jan. 27, 1946.

"I think that saved many American lives," Andersen said. "All the GIs over there were for it. I never heard any GI that was against dropping the bomb because the Japanese people were really atrocious. For the things that they did and the atrocities that they committed, to me, they deserved it."

Today, the 85-year-old Spencer retiree deems his military service as "making the best out of it and getting out." After briefly serving as a foreman in the local packing plant, Andersen spent 37 years working for the government in the U.S. Postal Service.

DON MASCHINO

Don Maschino, who turned 88 on July 23, enlisted in the Army Signal Corps in September of 1942. After being sent to a radio school in Des Moines and attending a pre-radar course at the University of Iowa, Maschino was put into active service in June 1943 with men who had formerly served in the Reserve. After visiting California and Louisiana, the 1938 Pomeroy High School graduate was sent overseas.

"I went down through the Panama Canal to Australia and then up to New Guinea. I was there about 18 months, and then went to the Philippines," Maschino remembered. "We were getting new radar equipment, new radios and new telephones and didn't know where we were going -- but we had a pretty good idea. About that time was when President Truman dropped the big one in Japan and it was shortly over with. I was happy for that."

Rather than depart from service, Maschino volunteered to enter Japan with more than 300,000 other occupation troops. He served as a military police officer in Tokyo for the next three months. By January of 1946, he'd accumulated enough points to honorably be sent home.

Maschino, who re-enlisted with the Reserves for another three years, or until 1949, served with Northwestern Bell Telephone Company for 31 1/2 years following World War II.

BOB KRILE

"As far as World War II is concerned, I was put in there by request during the war," Bob Krile, of Spencer, recalled with a chuckle, further explaining, "I got drafted into the Navy (in June 1943)."

Following boot camp and enrollment in a four-month machinist's mate school, Krile was sent to Norfolk, Va.

"We picked up our crew there and our crew was formed. Then we went to Galveston, Texas, and our ship was built there. We put it in commission and spent 2 1/2 years on that thing. Our crew also took it out of commission," the tin can sailor said.

The first-class petty officer in charge of his warship's fire room participated in Iwo Jima before being honorably discharged for the first time on Dec. 1, 1946. But Krile, who graduated from Parkersburg in 1941, remained in the Navy Reserve and was called back into action during the Korean War.

"The second time that I went in, in Korea, I was on a bigger ship. I spent 14 months on it and then I got discharged," Krile said.

The 85-year-old Spencer veteran retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 1980.

JOSEPH "PAT" KENNEY

"I graduated (from Cherokee) in '43. And, at that time, you couldn't join anymore if you'd turned 18 before you got out of high school. So, Dana Perrin, a really good friend of mine, and I waited around a little bit and then pushed ourselves up on the draft -- which the Navy didn't mind at all," Joseph "Pat" Kenney said of his military entry in September 1943.

After boot camp and some schooling, Kenney was sent to the West Coast, where he ended up on a ship's company on a troop transport for nine months.

"After islands were secured, we hauled Marines and other people in there to take over for the ones that were going to go to another invasion," he reported. "That ship pulled out when I was home on a leave, and I got delayed orders. When I came back, I was sent to a small craft training center where we trained for AM minesweepers. After that training, we went up to Portland and picked up a new AM minesweeper named the USS Gavia. We then went to sea again and swept mines around the islands that were cleared of the enemy. I ended up in service sweeping mines around Japan until I got enough points to come home."

The second-class radioman, who returned home for Easter in 1946, served as a telephone company worker for 35 years in Storm Lake, Estherville and Spencer.

BEN DAVIS

After graduating from Cresco High School, Ben Davis spent one year in college, turned 18 and formally entered the Navy in January 1945.

"I was attached to Naval air units in stateside positions in Jacksonville, Fla. In Alameda, Calif., I was a Navy aviation electrician attached to what they called casu, or carrier air service units. We took care of aircraft from incoming fleets," the 83-year-old explained of his role during World War II.

After being honorably discharged from the Navy in August 1946, Davis "kicked around several jobs for a while" before becoming employed by the Iowa State Conservation Commission in 1951. Following 38 years of service with the commission, the Spencer resident retired as a northwest Iowa law enforcement supervisor in 1990.

JOHN BLAIR

John Blair entered the tail end of World War II. The Greenville alumnus had his mother travel with him to the courthouse when he was barely 17 in order to enlist in the Navy in 1945.

Following boot camp and training in San Diego, Blair was sent to Stockton, Calif., where he worked on decommissioned ships.

"By August 1946, I was in the U.S. Naval Reserve. But, they discharged all reservists in August of 1946, which was fine with me because I went onto school on the GI Bill. So I was way ahead of Uncle Sam -- until the Korean War came along," the 81-year-old reflected. "I was called back in 1951, and went aboard a destroyer for 22 months. The destroyer I was on was put back into commission."

After being honorably discharged a second time in 1953, Blair, who served as the warship's barber as it sailed the Caribbean and escorted carriers, owned and operated the Blair House of Beauty, which is currently known as Design Masters Salon and Day Spa, for 35 years.

Father inspires daughter to honor fellow WW II veterans

(Photo submitted) Cathy Mueller organized the Siouxland Honor Flight in honor of Warren Hobbs, her World War II veteran father. The one-day trip to Washington, D.C., is dedicated to helping World War II veterans from the Siouxland area see their memorial in Washington, D.C.

By the numbers

* Number of Siouxland Honor Flights to date: 3

* Hours spent on the one-day trips: 16

* Number of World War II veterans on first flight -- Sept. 9, 2008: 100

* Number of World War II veterans on second flight -- June 2, 2009: 108

* Number of World War II veterans on third flight -- Oct. 13, 2009: 108

* Cost raised for each flight: $95,000

When Cathy Mueller first read about an honor flight devoted to helping World War II veterans see their memorial in the nation's capitol, the Siouxland Honor Flight organizer said it touched her heart and wouldn't let go.

She immediately began the time-consuming passion of attempting to honor her father with such a flight.

Warren Hobbs, Mueller's father, is a World War II veteran who flew as a lower ball turret gunner on a B-17 bomber. The Kingsley man is credited with 52 missions flying out of Fogia, Italy, during World War II.

"He loved it and said it's a tribute to all Americans -- not only the veterans and soldiers, but the people back here at home. It kind of brought the country together. And, he thought about the people who pulled together to save our country to keep it free," she said of her father's grateful reaction to participating in the first honor flight she arranged on Sept. 9, 2008.

Since starting this endeavor 13 months ago, Mueller has assisted over 300 other veterans in seeing the memorial in Washington, D.C. Her Siouxland-based flights are part of the Honor Flight Network, which was started four years ago in Springfield, Ohio.

"Although this is national, I am very proud of the fact that my hub, Siouxland Honor Flight, was the very first flight to fly out of the state of Iowa," she reported.

Today marks the third flight Mueller has organized for Siouxland veterans. Accomplished through much painstaking effort, a myriad of fundraisers and generous donations from the community, the flights to date have also been realized due to the many volunteer hours put forth by Mueller and others.

All of the veterans who have participated in Siouxland Honor Flights have flown at no charge.

"They do not pay anything," Mueller said. "This is our thank you to them for what they did then for us, to save our country and keep it free."

"My reward," she added, "is watching these veterans at their memorial, walking around. Most of them are meditating. They're remembering. It's very touching. ... This is a one-day trip into their past to visit America's thank you for their service. We have found that it's rather therapeutic for them."

Mueller's request for grateful World War II veterans who have participated in one of the three Siouxland Honor Flights, meanwhile, is simple: Please talk to your family and tell them what you went through -- for them and us.

While Mueller recently indicated that today's might be the last honor flight she organizes for area veterans, she innately added, "I'll never be the same. I'm not the same person I was when I started this. I'm the lucky one in this whole thing, being able to share this special day with each and every one of them. This is, always has been and always will be the greatest generation. There never will be another one like it."