Joel Shelko of the Village of Mallory served in the U.S. Marines from 1958 to 1961 during the tense years of the Cold War.
Villager Sam DiPietro was in a tank during the first wave at Normandy on D-Day.
On Sept. 8, these two former soldiers will partner in what promises to be an unforgettable journey put together by Villages Honor Flight.
On Saturday morning, Shelko and DiPietro went through some pre-flight instruction at Colony Cottage Recreation Center.
Twenty-five Marines went through special instructions as they will serve as “guardians” for 25 World War II veterans on the next Honor Flight trip to see the war memorials in Washington D.C.
It’s a grueling, emotional day for all involved. Guardians have the special responsibility of seeing their veterans through the day and home safely. Each guardian is paired with a veteran and they are encouraged to get to know one another before the trip.
For the guardians, preflight instruction includes some wheelchair training as each veteran will be transported on the trip by wheelchair. No detail is too small. Guardians are schooled in all areas, including information about loading and unloading their veterans from buses and planes to making sure their charges are fed and never left unattended.
“All they did was save the world,” Villager and Honor Flight volunteer Joe Hambright reminded the Marines at the end of their guardian training session.
DiPietro, 90, has previously traveled to Europe where he visited the The Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial and stood at Omaha Beach. He said he is looking forward to the Sept. 8 Honor Flight journey.
“I am glad I get the opportunity to do this. I am going with a great bunch of guys,” DiPietro said.
Leonard Devanna, 90, of the Village of Del Mar, was 17 days behind DiPietro landing at Normandy.
“I spent three days waterproofing my Jeep. The ship went in so far, only my hubcaps got wet,” he said.
On Sept. 8, the two World War veterans, along with 23 others, will share the trip of a lifetime, courtesy of Villages Honor Flight.
Departure and welcome-home ceremonies will be held at American Legion Post 347. Entertainment and live music will be provided.
“It’s always an emotional event, but one you will never forget,” said John Driscoll of Villages Honor Flight who has previously made the trip as a guardian.
You can watch a video from June 22 Honor Flight “welcome home” ceremony at the link below:
http://villages-news.com/villages-honor-flight-receives-patriotic-welcome-home-in-wee-hours/
You can watch a video from Saturday’s pre-flight instruction at the link below:
http://villages-news.com/villages-honor-flight-pre-flight-instruction-aug-24-2013/
- Norm Polkinghorn of the Village of Alhambra is one of 25 World War II veterans booked on the Sept. 8 Villages Honor Flight trip to Washington D.C
