They served with honor

Southern Iowa veterans relish Honor Flight trips

This year, hundreds of World War II veterans from Iowa made the journey to Washington, D.C., to see the World War II Memorial.

Veterans were flown on special charter “Honor Flights” to the nation’s capitol to see the memorial and be recognized for their service.

Several southern Iowans were among the participants who made the journey and on this Veterans Day, we are proud to share a few of their stories.



Chuck Osing

When Chuck Osing of Ottumwa left for war in 1944, he was prepared for combat.

At 21, Osing was drafted and trained in Texas to be an infantry man before leaving for the war in 1944. However, when he got overseas, a peace treaty was signed and the war was soon over.

“I felt prepared. When you leave basic training, you’re prepared,” Osing said. He was part of the 7th Infantry Division, also known as the Hour Glass Division.

“The war had ended just as we reached the Philippines,” Osing said. “I lucked out. A peace treaty was signed when we were at sea.”

Though Osing didn’t go into combat, he served 18 months in Korea and Japan. The veteran was among Iowa veterans and volunteers to go on an Honor Flight Oct. 12.

“It was wonderful and very well-organized,” Osing said of his trip to Washington, D.C. “There were volunteers from all walks of life who were all very helpful. The veterans with canes or in wheelchairs didn’t need to worry.

“There were 48 steps to get on the plane, and there was someone on every stop to help you,” Osing said. One volunteer even offered to push Osing through the memorial in a wheelchair.

Osing said seeing the monument brought back a lot of memories from his time in service.

Though he was drafted, Osing said, “I was not sorry I went. It was an experience which was great. Basic training was the toughest.”

Before leaving for Washington, the veterans were treated to a meal and program at Prairie Meadows in Altoona. As the veterans were being taken to the event by bus, supporters waved and cheered.

“You could not believe the amount of people all the way to Prairie Meadows,” Osing said. “It brought tears to your eyes.”

Osing left at 1:30 a.m. for breakfast, which was served until 4 a.m. The plane took off after 4:30 a.m. They returned back to Des Moines at 1:15 the next morning.

“It was 24 hours, but it was worth it,” he said. “It was great.”

— Pat Shaver



Don Scherer

From Italy to Africa to Japan, Don Scherer, 87, of Eldon saw “lots of action” during World War II.

Scherer was with the U.S. Army First Armored Division and he’d like to forget many things. For example, he was in the North African desert when the U.S. planes flew “down the line of horses” and shot the animals as they passed “because the Arabs were coming.”

Then Scherer’s unit went to Italy and he “walked the full length of Italy.” Next, the Army “boated” him back to Japan five days after dropping the atomic bombs.

In March 2007, retired Brigadier General Martin L. Graber of the Iowa National Guard pinned a medal on Scherer during the Southeast Iowa Sportsman Expo at Bridge View Center.

The citation referred to Private Donald R. Scherer and four other soldiers who did “exceptional meritorious service from Dec. 2-29, 1943, near LeCave, Italy.”

“These men ... were given the responsibility of installing and maintaining wire communication lines between the artillery headquarters and its subordinate battalions,” according to the citation.

Scherer saw horrific sights during his years of military service.

“I thought about the war every night. That’s why I farmed so much,” he said during the 2007 expo.

But now, thanks to the Oct. 13 Honor Flight, he has new memories to add to his World War II collection.

“There were 400 of us guys on that plane,” he said. “The plane was 24 feet wide and I sat in the middle. You wouldn’t think a plane could hold that many.”

Scherer said it was wonderful to see the World War II Memorial.

“It’s pretty,” he added.

Seeing hundreds of “the old boys” in yellow coats and black caps made him smile.

“There were 12 busloads at the memorial,” he said.

Members of the National Guard helped the veterans find their way around the memorial and the city and to places with good food.

“They took good care of everybody,” Scherer said.

While Scherer appreciates his military buddies and the memorial, he has a low opinion about war.

“Wars ain’t no good,” he said. “Wars are gettin’ worse, not better, and we’re still havin’ them.”

— Cindy Toopes





O.R. Parks, J.B. Kelley & Leonard Criswell

Three men from Appanoose County were among the veterans to travel on an Honor Flight to see the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

O.R. Parks, J.B. Kelley and Leonard “Howard” Criswell flew out of Des Moines on Oct. 13.

Besides the opportunity to see the memorial and others nearby like the Korean and Vietnam memorials up close, they and other veterans were given a tour of other famous landmarks like the Iwo Jima Monument and Arlington Cemetery, where they watched the changing of the guard.

One lasting impression for all three men was the tremendous show of appreciation they received.

“It’s great to see how much appreciation they have for us,” Parks said. “That’s what that monument did, it was appreciation for World War II and all of the civilians and everybody.”

The entire day was impressive for Criswell, but he especially enjoyed the show of appreciation the veterans received while going to Prairie Meadows in Altoona for a dinner prior to their flight to D.C.

“They lined all of the buses up and they just poked along and I tell ya, people waved and screamed,” he said. “And it was just something to see those little kids. And I was leaning right against the window and I waved at those little kids and threw them a kiss. And they’d throw one back.”

The three men were among the thousands of American soldiers responsible for defeating the combined forces of Germany, Japan and Italy. They were young men when they took on that challenge.

Parks said he was 19 when he entered the Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego, Calif., and then to Jacksonville, Fla., for radio school. During the war he was a radio operator in a B-25 squadron.

Parks, now 86, was discharged in December of 1945. He would go on to attend college and become a school teacher for 35 years.

Kelley was 17 when he entered the Marine Corps, one year before he was eligible. He hesitantly admitted he lied about his age.

“You got your draft card at 18,” he said. “In fact I got my draft card, we were onboard ship, almost to Okinawa, when we got mail. And I got my notice that I was going to be inducted into the service.”

Kelley, now 83, was a forward observer for the infantry and it was his job to be up close to and watch the enemy and report back to the troops. He said he had a radio to help protect himself but felt vulnerable.

“I had a telephone for protection,” he said, which didn’t give him much comfort.

Kelley was discharged in January 1946. He would go on to work for a rural electric company as a lineman in Missouri and then for Southern Iowa, where he retired after nearly 43 years on the job.

Criswell said in he was around 22 or 23 when he was drafted into the Army. He went to boot camp at Fort Jackson, S.C., and then he went to another hospital in Springfield, Ill., for three months. During the war he was a non-combat medic in the war.

Criswell, now 88, was discharged in January 1946. He would go on to work for Iowa Southern Electric, where he retired after 38 years.

— Michael Schaffer,

Centerville Daily Iowegian



Keith Worrell

Keith Worrell graduated from Ottumwa High School in 1939. He then joined the Army, went to artillery radar training and shipped out to the Philippines.

But Worrell did not want to talk about his service, rather he wanted to share stories of his OHS classmate, Harold Lind, a successful student athlete and a down-to-earth friend. Worrell came back from his tour overseas. Harold did not.

“I was lucky,” said Worrell. “I spent six months overseas, [but] in three months, the war was over.”

He still chokes up when he talks about Lind, who was killed pulling one of his men to safety during a firefight on Iwo Jima.

The Honor Flight and help from the Good Samaritan Center, where Worrell, 88, now lives combined to make the entire trip free for Worrell. So in addition to seeing the World War II memorial, he took the opportunity to make his way to the famous Iwo Jima Memorial, also in D.C.

The familiar sight of the Marines raising the American flag was moving to Worrell. He was glad to see the monument, which, after all, was the reason for the trip. Without the Honor Flight, he said, he wouldn’t have seen either monument.

“The Iwo Jima memorial affected me more,” he said. “I’ve seen it on TV and in the papers, but until you see it ... you can’t describe it.”

He also saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, where the changing of the guard ceremony takes place frequently.

“The cadet who was wheeling me around [in my wheelchair] was able to look up Harold on the computer at Arlington,” Worrell said.

Though Worrell talked admiringly of his lost friend, a new friend at Good Sam talked about all the veterans of the war.

“I was a little kid at the time; I was 8 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor,” said Burr Brown, the husband of an employee at the center.

So when the Honor Flight program came to Ottumwa, Brown volunteered to help: He drove Worrell to the Des Moines Airport, then picked him up a day later.

“These World War II guys are pretty much heroes of mine,” he said.

— Mark Newman



Junior Farrier & John Koontz

Junior Farrier and John Koontz live just a few blocks apart in Fairfield. They took the same plane to Washington, D.C., as part of the Honor Flight tribute to World War II veterans.

They saw each other once during the trip.

There were some 400 or so veterans on that trip. It was easy to lose track of any specific person since each wore the same shirt, jacket and hat.

The two spoke about the trip recently, sitting on opposite sides of Farrier’s living room. The trip started early as people woke and ate breakfast in shifts. Koontz got up at 1 a.m.

“You got up at 1?” Farrier exclaimed, laughing. “I got up at 2:15!”

The early start made for a long day, both agreed. They entered the memorial on the Pacific side, not far from the Iowa column. It’s a big memorial, but the scale doesn’t really hit you until you’re in it.

They had time to walk through the whole thing, to study it. Volunteers helped and visitors thanked the veterans for their service. That’s what Koontz and Farrier remember as clearly as the memorial: The people who made the day happen.

Both were drafted into the war. Farrier went into the Navy. Koontz found himself in the Army. Farrier’s ship went to the Pacific. Koontz went east.

“We were in the first invasion of North Africa,” Koontz said. Then it was on to Sicily, Italy, and into southern France. “We were just on the move, all the time.”

Both saw combat. The guns Koontz serviced were between the U.S. artillery on one side and German guns on the other. The shells went over their heads. It wasn’t too bad, he said, so long as neither side had a round fall short.

Farrier’s ship was supposed to hunt submarines. It got one but shot down more Japanese planes. Five of them. One of those planes killed several of his crewmates.

Neither thought much about the war after returning home. They didn’t have homecoming ceremonies for their units, though both men note there were a lot more people coming back and they trickled in.

“You just got out and went about your business,” Farrier said.

He remembers his return. He hadn’t thought through what he would say when he got home.

“Well Dad, I got back,” he wound up saying.

Everyone chuckles for a moment at the memory, until Farrier points out that it isn’t really funny. Too many people didn’t come back. Luck decided who did.

And for a moment you see that, as much as it meant to both Farrier and Koontz, their trip was also for the ones who didn’t come home.

— Matt Milner



John Mielke

World War II veteran John Mielke of Ottumwa remembers the best meal of his life.

It was a steel helmet filled with warm oatmeal.

“Man, that was the most wonderful meal I had in my life,” he said.

One of his worst meals was on Christmas Day a few days after fighting in the Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne in 1944. He was 19 years old.

“What I remember, a few days later, for Christmas dinner, sitting in a fox hole,” Mielke said. “[Dinner was in] a box about the size of a Cracker Jack box.”

It included a 4-ounce can of corned pork loaf with carrots and apple flakes, four crackers, four pieces of hard candy, lemonade powder and four cigarettes.

Mielke was part of the 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101 Airborne Division during World War II, which has been featured in the movie “Saving Private Ryan” and the mini-series “Band of Brothers.”

“I remember going into Bastogne and we were not prepared,” he said.

During that battle, Mielke said about 600 soldiers from his battalion went in and 199 men and 12 officers were lost.

Mielke was among the hundreds of Iowa veterans who participated in the Honor Flights to see the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. in August. The veterans were given a shirt, hat, disposable camera, snacks and a fanny pack. They met in Des Moines and attended a few events before their early morning flight to Washington.

“It gives you a good feeling to have people appreciative for what you did,” he said.

The Honor Flight started at the Hy-Vee preflight dinner in West Des Moines. The veterans were taken by bus to the event. The procession included 50 motorcycles, 10 buses, Highway Patrol vehicles and Des Moines Police vehicles.

Then the 800 veterans, volunteers and friends had dinner and heard music from the World War II era.

“I shook more hands that Monday than I have in my life ... well, until the next day,” he said.

— Pat Shaver



Ab Yochum

The end of World War II broke up Ab Yochum’s Army unit but a different “outfit” gave him hundreds of new war buddies.

Yochum, 84, of Ottumwa was one of hundreds of World War II veterans who visited the World War II Memorial Oct. 13 in Washington, D.C., through the courtesy of Honor Flight and its sponsors.

“I never saw so many old men in my life,” Yochum said and his grin was as wide as the plane he boarded. “And that World War II Memorial would fill a city block.”

After being chauffeured around the nation’s capitol, Yochum saw the Smithsonian and “all the other memorials” but he “wouldn’t want to live” in the big city.

“Traffic there is like the Dallas area. I sat in the back and prayed,” he said.

Being with other war veterans brought back memories, of course. Yochum said he was “right off the farm” in 1942 when he joined the Army’s 106th Cavalry Group, 121st Squadron.

“I served in Normandy and Austria and I was in cavalry reconnaissance — that’s when you go out to no man’s land to see what’s there,” he said. “The Germans were on the run and we were rear protection.”

Yochum believes “it’s different” for soldiers today. During World War II, the U.S. troops were the first Americans most Germans had ever seen. Some Germans were celebrating the Americans’ arrival but others “just stared down” the soldiers.

After the war, he was reclassified but still didn’t have enough points to go home. He had experience in truck driving, so the Army moved him to the transportation unit.”

“I drove all over Europe — Paris, Berlin, Marseilles,” he said.

Eventually, Yochum had enough points and the Army shipped him home.

“Returning to the States was everything I’d hoped it would be,” he said.

— Cindy Toopes



Wesley Chidester

Being drafted in World War II led Wesley Dorrell Chidester to 20 years of willing service.

Chidester, 89, of Ottumwa, served in the Air Force starting in 1942 as an airplane mechanic on Guam. Within four years, he had made it to master sergeant and was a chief inspector.

“Best job I ever had,” he said. “When they shipped me home from Saipan in 1946, I signed up as an Air Force reservist.”

But two years later, a new Iowa Air National Guard unit was being formed, and the commander asked Chidester to come on board with the rank of first sergeant, the head enlisted man. Eventually, he was made an officer, which led to his next role: switching over to the Iowa Army National Guard.

“They said they were starting a new unit in Ottumwa and asked if I wanted to be a part of it. I told them I’d like to be the company commander,” he recalled.

That unit would be an engineer company of the 224th. Chidester grabbed seven trusted military men and started Company C. Soon, he said, the seven had become 100 soldiers and in about 1959, Capt. (later Major) Chidester moved his men into the newly built armory on Ottumwa’s north side.

He still calls the place — now home to the 833rd Engineers — the “new” armory. Even though he was the first commander of that armory, he laughed when he admitted it still caught him by surprise when he heard the building was being renovated.

“I thought to myself, ‘But they just built it ...’ but when I thought about, I realized it was 40, 50 years ago.”

These days, he said, he doesn’t get around so well. He uses a cane, and for longer jaunts, a wheelchair.

“A soldier, when you get old, you’re worthless,” he said. “It seems people don’t give a hoot about soldiers until there’s a situation, like they’re forgotten.”

The visit to D.C. was just the opposite, he said.

“It was beautiful, really nice — one of the most delightful things I’ve experienced in the last 50 years. My daughter called and said she’d filled out an application for me to go. ... A man called and said, ‘Do you want to go?’ and I said, ‘You bet I do.’”

At every step, someone pushed his wheelchair, people shook his hand and thanked him for his efforts during the war.

“It made us feel like heroes,” he said. “It was the most wonderful [experience]. It made you feel important again.”

Even dignitaries and VIP speakers treated the veterans “like kings,” with some executives pitching in where needed to push wheelchairs.

“It felt like my life meant something to somebody,” Chidester said. “I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.”

He grinned when he recalled the scene at an Honor Flight banquet, where hundreds of veterans around his age stood, sat in wheelchairs or held onto walkers.

“I looked out across them men and some of them were worse than me. And I thought, ‘How did a bunch of old men like that win a war?’”

— Mark Newman

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