Korean War vet tours with Honor Flight

Korean War veteran James Hendricks recently visited Washington, D.C. as an Honor Flight Network guest. 

The daylong tour of war memorial and government sites in the nation’s capital was a year in the making for the Callahan resident. 

Grandson Jason Hendricks planned the honor flight as a surprise. Hendricks’ son John joined them on the tour Sept. 8. 

“They kept me in the dark, basically,” the 89-year-old veteran said. 

The non-profit organization provides air transport for veterans to Washington, D.C. so they can “visit and reflect at their memorials. Top priority is given to the senior veterans – World War II survivors, along with those other veterans who may be terminally ill,” according to www.honorflight.org. 

Program Director Jane Julian said 22,000 veterans per year were transported to view memorials since 2005. By the end of 2017, more than 200,000 veterans will have visited the nation’s capital. Donations are raised through grants, fundraisers, organizations and businesses. 

“No matter what we do, it will never be enough to thank them for the sacrifices for our country,” Julian said.

Hendricks has visited D.C. on many occasions – but on this trip he received a police escort and was on a strict itinerary as he and his family toured the Lincoln, World War II, Vietnam and Korean War memorials as well as other points of interest. 

He was struck by the life-like statues of the troops depicted in various stages of movement, shrouded in ponchos as they held rifles. 

“It is realistic,” Hendricks said, adding, “I was thankful to have had the opportunity to see this memorial. That’s the first time I had seen the memorial. I had pictures of it and friends sent me a picture of it, but that was the first time to see a lot of this stuff.” 

The most memorable event was watching the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery. 

“How those soldiers are trained to obey every command and it’s just amazing to see one perform – almost like a robot,” Hendricks said. “That was, to me, the most impressionable and then seeing the Korean War Memorial and seeing how they had laid that out. It was different from all the other memorials. It’s a living memorial is what it is.” 

Reflecting on the tour brought back memories for the elder Hendricks. He’s also working on his memoirs with the help of daughter Kathy and son John. Looking back on his younger years, he initially planned to join the Navy, but at 16 he was too young. After moving to Jacksonville from Paulding County, Ga. to be near his two brothers-in-law, John Richards and Eugene Newman, who were serving at the Naval Air Station, Hendricks got a job guarding war criminals. 

They talked him out of joining the Navy. Instead, he joined the Army National Guard, working his way up to sergeant first class, before he was sent to Korea April 9, 1951. He was 22 years old. 

He had already met his future wife Marilyn. They married on Christmas Day in 1948. During their union, the couple had three additional children, Tony, Steve and Daniel. 

Hendricks served in various parts of Korea from 1951-52 before ending up in Busan, South Korea for the final two months of his deployment. His specialty was serving in air defense, utilizing anti-aircraft weapons. 

One of the challenges that he and his comrades faced during the war was that refugees moved with the soldiers as they walked through the countryside. 

“It’s difficult to determine the enemy from the civilians and they would infiltrate into the refugee movement and you don’t really know that they’re enemies until you’ve been fired on,” Hendricks said. “And then when you try to fire back, there are casualties that are not combat related but it’s almost impossible to avoid.”

Hendricks began the return voyage to the U.S. on Dec. 25, 1952, eager to greet his wife and new son Tony, who was born while he was away. Hendricks retired as a major from the Army National Guard in 1986. The couple divorced in the 1980s.

Retired Navy veteran and son Steven expressed gratitude for his father’s willingness to serve. He is thrilled that his dad is an honor flight recipient. 

“I would like to thank my father, James Hendricks, Korean Veteran, and every veteran for their service,” he wrote via email. “Special thanks to my son, Jason, who submitted my father’s name for consideration as well as all of the people, companies and volunteers associated with the Honor Flight program that work tirelessly to honor our veterans.” 

Jason Hendricks reflected on the trip and time spent with his grandfather. 

“The entire experience was heartwarming to see so many incredible people honor my grandfather with thankful and kind words,” the 43-year-old wrote via email. “The visit was also humbling to hear Poppa speak to other veterans about the bitterly cold conditions they had to overcome during deployment. I am extremely proud of Poppa for his service to our country and loved that he shared some of his war stories with me during the visit. One of my favorite childhood memories was going to his Army retirement celebration when I was very young.”

He added, “I do not have any military experience; however, my father and both grandfathers were in the military. We spent most of our time with members of the military and their families. I have always had great admiration for the job the Armed Forces do in protecting our country.” 

John Hendricks was impressed with the tour. He is a local historian. 

“They prioritized World War II and Korean War veterans first in all these trips, so there were a lot of Korean veterans and a lot of World War II veterans – and it was good to see the World War II veterans,” Hendricks said. 

He was glad to see the memorials that recognized all of the sacrifices. 

“Ironically, there’s no World War I memorial,” he said. “There’s one that D.C. put one up, but not the federal government. But it’s good to see all of the memorials and see that they are remembered. What’s that old saying, ‘Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it?’”

Since 2013, plans have been in the works for the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission to raise funds to create a national memorial site at Pershing Park, according to www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php.

The elder Hendricks underscored the importance of war memorials and the need for history to remind younger generations of why it is crucial to never forget their impact.