Donations sought to get flight to honor vets off the ground

HAVELOCK — Roger Lawrence went to work every day on a small sandbar called Eniwetok.

“We had a runway. That was it,” he said.

A B-29 bomber would land. Lawrence was among those who serviced the aircraft and sent it on its way, delivering a payload that paved the way to an American victory in World War II.

He remembers taking saltwater showers for almost a year on the spit of sand that was part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. There simply wasn’t enough fresh water to spare for such a luxury as a shower.

Honor Flight Southeastern North Carolina is out to thank Lawrence and other World War II veterans by sponsoring a plane trip to Washington so they can see the World War II Memorial.

The nonprofit organization plans to fly 108 World War II veterans and their caretakers from the Coastal Carolina Regional Airport in New Bern to Washington on Sept. 22.

“It’s wonderful that people can do this,” said Lawrence, who lives in Morehead City. “Otherwise, I would not be able to go. It’s nice.”

Honor Flight is still in need of donations to get the flight off the ground. Jason McLeod, head of Honor Flight SENC, said the total cost is $60,000, and the veterans don’t pay a dime.

“This is our way to pay tribute to them,” said McLeod, who attended an Honor Flight fundraiser last week at the Havelock Tourist and Event Center. “We’re losing these guys. They’re dying at a rate of 2,100 per day. In five to seven years, they might all be gone. We owe them to do whatever we can do today to thank them.”

The organization has already sponsored two honor flights this year, both during the spring from Wilmington. McLeod had a hard time describing the impact those trips had on the World War II veterans and the caretakers who pay their own way to make sure the trip goes well.

“This program changes lives,” he said. “It changes the lives of the veterans and it changes the lives of the guardians. I had one tell me that his life is better now, that his relationship with his wife is better, that the nightmares had stopped. For some of them, it allows them to heal and lead a better life.”

William Smith, who lives in Atlantic in Carteret County, went on one of the earlier Honor Flights from Wilmington. The former Navy man, who served on Guadalcanal loading bombs into aircraft, raved about his experience.

“It was wonderful,” he said at the fundraiser. “To see our memorial was a pleasure, and the staff was great. They had everything.”

While he said the experience of seeing the memorial was moving, the reception the veterans received when they arrived back at the airport in Wilmington stands out, he said.

“There were 2,000 people there to greet us — Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts waving flags,” he said. “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”

A similar reception is being planned at Coastal Carolina Regional Airport on Sept. 22, with help from the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Band at Cherry Point. The estimated time of arrival back in New Bern is 7 p.m. More details on the reception are scheduled to be released later.

Tim Necaise, the flight director for Sept. 22, served as a guardian on one of the Wilmington flights.

“One of the best parts is when they come home and they are treated to a hero’s welcome,” he said.

Necaise said that on his Honor Flight he escorted a veteran who landed on Omaha Beach with the second wave on D-Day on June 6, 1944.

“I asked him how he summoned up the courage to do what he did that day, and he told me that he had resigned himself to the fact that he was going to die that day,” Necaise said. “Later, we went to the Vietnam Memorial, and I saw him touch his hand to the wall, and it was his son’s name on that wall. His son was killed in Vietnam.

“That brought it all home. He was prepared to give his own life on D-Day. He loses a son in Vietnam. That’s a hero. These are the people that Honor Flight is here to thank. Without these World War II veterans, where would be today?”

Lester Turnale, who served in the Pacific during World War II, said he had thought about visiting the memorial when it opened in 2004. He said the thought of a long drive in Washington traffic as well as the expense kept him from making the trip.

He said he’ll be on the Sept. 22 flight.

“I think it’s great that someone would do this,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it. I can’t hardly wait.”

For more information on Honor Flight or to make a donation for the Sept. 22 flight, call Tim Necaise at 252-342-8848, e-mail honorflightsenc@gmail.com or go to the Honor Flight website at honorflightsenc.org.