APPLETON, Wis. — A group of World War II veterans flew from Wisconsin this week en route to Normandy, France, for the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Early Thursday morning, well before sunrise, World War II veterans gathered again. This time at an airport in Appleton, Wisconsin, the start of a journey back to Europe.
“Nice to see where I was 80 years ago,” Lawrence Eckstein said.
“We are so honored, we never thought we would have to give him another passport,” said Eckstein’s daughter, Julie Henke.
Old Glory Honor Flight joined with American Airlines to make this possible. Old Glory was founded in 2009 by volunteers in Appleton, Wisconsin. They offer free trips to veterans in the Midwest, giving these men and women a chance to reflect, remember, and in some cases, rediscover.
“The destroyer I was on has taken out a German bunker and I would like to know exactly where it is. I’m sure I can find it,” said another veteran bound for Normandy.
“When I got the message that I had been selected to go, I cried like a baby,” Eckstein said.
All veterans flown out of Appleton and Green Bay will participate in the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6 in Normandy, France. This includes 100-year-old Les Schrenk of Bloomington. He has put the bad memories of the war behind him and is looking forward to making new memories together with his fellow veterans.
“I’m glad I was able to talk about it,” Schrenk said. “It doesn’t bother me to talk about it. I left all the bad things behind me a long time ago.”
Johannes Lauritsen
