By Annette and Deb,
daughters of Art Callanan
What started out as our family working together to get dad the Ambassador of Peace medal for his humanitarian efforts during the Korean War, turned into a trip of his lifetime. He was able to go on the Honor Flight on October 10, 2017.
On Sunday, October 8, 2017, we were able to surprise dad at a sendoff lunch at Baker’s Square in Rochester. Several family members were there as we presented dad with the Ambassador of Peace Korean War Medal.
Sixty-three years after his military service in the Air Force, Airman First Class Arthur V. Callanan, nicknamed “Skoshi” by the people of Pusan, South Korea, was honored by flying on the Sullivan-Hartogh-Davis Cedar Valley Honor Flight out of Waterloo, Iowa.
His daughter Kathy had applied for this honor flight. She received the call that dad was accepted. On Tuesday, October 10, 2017, they flew out of the Waterloo Regional Airport, arriving at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport at 10:15 a.m.
The first stop of the trip was at the WWII Memorial. Due to high security, they had to stay on the bus and drive past the Washington Memorial, White House, and the Martin Luther Memorial.
At the second stop, they were able to get off the bus and observe the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall and the Korean War Veterans Memorial, which was the highlight for Dad.
Another memorable event was to see the changing of the guards. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. There were 400,000 graves; you could see from any direction the white tombstones.
When they arrived back at the Waterloo Airport, they were greeted with a large crowd of people. There was a band and bagpipers. The welcome home reception was unreal; so many people thanking him for his service to this country.
The Honor Flights are a non-profit organization created solely to honor America’s Veterans for their sacrifices. Our nation’s heroes are transported to Washington, DC, to visit and reflect at their memorials. Top priority is given to the senior veterans, along with those other veterans that are terminally ill. On this particular flight, there were 106 Vietnam War veterans and six Korean War veterans. However, no WWII veterans were able to attend due to health issues.
For our dad, it was his opportunity to pay allegiance and respect to all the veterans who did not make it home.
Leave a Reply