'They turned them loose and told them to survive'

When the Honor Flight Tri-State departs from the Cincinnati airport on April 16, Grant County veteran Dale Jackson will be on it. The destination: Washington, D.C.

The Honor Flight Network is a national non-profit seeking to express gratitude to veterans. It began roughly 20 years ago. There are 128 hubs nationally whose volunteers coordinate trips allowing veterans to see the war memorials in our nation’s capital.

Though established originally for World War II veterans, the organization now includes Korean and Vietnam veterans on the flights.

Honor Flights are restricted to veterans, whose expenses are paid in full, and their guardians.

Going on an Honor Flight trip gives veterans a powerful experience; a day during which to be with fellow veterans sharing stories and remembering fallen comrades.

Jackson’s wife Judy must remain behind. The National Honor Flight Network has a policy preventing spouses from accompanying veterans unless the spouse, too, is a veteran.

A paying guardian is required to go with each veteran, but the guardian should be someone a generation younger. Therefore, Jackson’s daughter Gayle will travel from Fort Wayne, Indiana to accompany him.

The American Airlines Airbus will leave at dawn carrying 88 veterans and their guardians.

Jackson, who will turn 84 in May, grew up in Harlan. He had a successful high school baseball career as a catcher and wanted to play professionally, but a broken arm at the end of his senior year nixed that dream.

Instead, he enlisted in the army. He was stationed at Fort Knox and later sent to Panama to become a jungle expert.

Judy said, “They turned them loose and told them to survive.” They ate snakes.

Jackson served eight years, eight months and 14 days during the Vietnam War, although he was never sent to Vietnam. He was needed stateside to serve as a drill sergeant training troops. He did go to Korea, according to Judy.

After his army career, Jackson remained in Georgia, where he was last stationed. His brother in Glencoe, however, wanted him to come to Kentucky to help with the truck stop he owned.

He met and married his second wife, Judy, and they had two children together, Jimmy and Gayle.

Jackson later went to work at a factory in Florence for a while then hired on at Dayton Walther (now Arvin Meritor) for 25 years. He retired in 2005.

Judy ticks off his surgeries and health challenges like a laundry list, including a double knee replacement, hip replacement and hearing aids.

“We call him bionic,” she laughed.

In addition to going on the Honor Flight, Jackson will be receiving a “Quilt of Valor” at the Elks Lodge at Cold Spring on March 20.

Friends and family are invited to meet the Honor Flight on its return to Cincinnati at 9 p.m. on April 16.

The veterans will receive a heroes’ welcome home complete with bagpipes, a color guard, and veterans groups. Veterans will each receive a special packet of correspondence from grateful well-wishers collected through “Mail Call.”