Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Honor Flight Tallahassee recently provided another group of military veterans with a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Washington, D.C., where they visited the monuments raised in honor of their service. Among the passengers for the 2023 trip were two local Air Force veterans, Jim Gamble and Bill Grosse.
The group rose extra early on Saturday, April 29, to arrive at the Tallahassee Airport by 5 a.m. Breakfast awaited them, courtesy of Mission BBQ, and then it was time for take-off. All veterans had a personal guardian assigned to them to ensure a smooth, safe and memorable journey. A medical team accompanied the group, and wheelchairs were provided for all to support their comfort and endurance throughout the trip.
After arriving at Baltimore/Washington International, the veterans and their support personnel boarded buses to begin the jam-packed, one-day tour that would last from morning into the night. Stops on the trip included the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a sacred memorial that lies at the heart of Arlington National Cemetery, as well as the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial (also referred to as the Iwo Jima Memorial), World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Washington Memorial.
For United States Air Force SSGT Jim Gamble, the trip was a great experience.
“I have been to Washington, D.C., several times before,” said Gamble, “but as a driver for Trailways, and I didn't have time to see anything.”
On Honor Flight 2023, Gamble was able to enjoy all of the monuments, adding that the Air Force display was his favorite.
Gamble joined the Air Force on June 15, 1960, and became a ground-to-air radio repairman. When his military service ended in 1967, he made his home in the town where he was last stationed, Cross City, Fla. That's when he started driving for Trailways Bus Lines. Later he worked for the Florida Division of Motor Vehicles then switched to a career as a preacher, a role he continues in a lay capacity to this day. Gamble has maintained his interest in radios all along and runs a network check for the YL Ham Radio League in his radio room in the afternoons.
On the Honor Flight trip, Gamble notes, “Everyone was very helpful. We felt like honored guests all the time.”
He was especially touched by the old-fashioned overseas mail call that took place on the plane on the way home at the end of the trip.
“I received letters from friends I have here and also schoolchildren I don't even know,” said Gamble.
Also on this year’s Honor Flight Tallahassee was Bill Grosse. Grosse was born and raised in the small farming town of Tecumseh, Neb., and has lived in Lloyd, Fla., since 2016. In 1953, just after his first semester of college, he joined the United States Air Force, during the Korean Conflict. He had always loved airplanes as a kid, had all kinds of aircraft models and hung out at a nearby airport, so the Air Force was an obvious choice for him although he also had considered joining the Navy.
Grosse completed his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. His aptitude testing at the time would have allowed him to begin training as a pilot right away, but as a musician he thought playing in the Air Force Band was a better fit. Grosse has many fond memories of being in the band, flying to many different ceremonies and participating alongside the Honor Guards. One time, he recalls, he even flew on the same plane as President Dwight Eisenhower.
Eventually, however, Grosse was ordered into flight school and became an aviation cadet. When he graduated as a pilot, he was stationed in Japan just as the truce was reached in Korea. During 1966-67 Grosse served in Vietnam, flying 185 combat missions, for which he was awarded the Air Medal seven times as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross.
After 20 years of active duty and five more on active reserve, he went back to school to get an AGP degree and FAA certification in aircraft and power plant mechanics. Grosse became a test pilot for Teledyne Technologies and then owned his own aircraft maintenance company. Later he managed the equipment for Rocky Creek Logging Co, a subsidiary of Union Camp. During that time, he formed and served as first president of the AEMP (Association of Equipment Management Professionals), an organization that today is the premier provider of education and certification for equipment managers.
Honor Flight 2023 has been an amazing experience for him. He felt honored at the pre-flight briefing, during the flight and when they landed to a water cannon salute in Baltimore. The appreciation for military veterans’ service was expressed in every element on the trip as he and his daughter and official guardian, Melanie Haedicke, visited the monuments and mingled with veterans along the way. He even crossed paths with a former neighbor who performed with a special Honor Guard at the Marine Corps Memorial. He found the view from the Air Force Memorial especially breathtaking.
Of the mail call on the flight back to Tallahassee, Grosse commented, “Every war has some good parts in it, and mail call is probably the best.”
Receiving the packet of letters during the flight from government officials, family members and other supportive correspondents reaffirmed for Grosse how much effort had gone into making the trip deeply meaningful. Landing to an enthusiastically welcoming crowd, felt especially good to him. Grosse remembers coming home after serving in Vietnam and being spit upon rather than honored for his military service. At the time, even though he was proud of his service, he burned all of his military clothes and never spoke about it. Now, there were cheers, smiles, waving flags, a water cannon salute and music from the Tallahassee Swing Band.
“Finally, we are back,” he said.
Grosse is glad that his son-in-law connected him with the program and that he followed through to apply for the chance to take the trip. He and Gamble both highly recommend the experience to other veterans.
For more information about upcoming Honor Flight opportunities, visit www. honorflighttallahassee.org.
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