By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

In 1970, at age 19, Jerry Anderson was drafted into the United States Army right out of tech school. He went through eight weeks of basic training at Ft. Lewis, Washington and then 26 weeks of artillery training at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma.  ¶  Anderson shipped out in August of 1971 and spent ten months and 28 days on the ground in Vietnam. He served as an artillery section chief with Bravo Battery 3rd/82nd Field Artillery, 196th Infantry Brigade stationed out of Da Nang, Vietnam.  ¶  When Anderson made it back to the States, he received no welcome. In fact, he and many veterans like him, were spit on, called “baby killers” and denigrated for their role in the Vietnam War. Left with disabilities like neuropathy and PTSD, the veterans were left on their own to integrate back into American society.  ¶  It’s because of their selfless service and the wrongs that they had to endure that lead to the organization of the Veterans Honor Flight of North Dakota/Minnesota. The nonprofit organization arranges flights from Fargo for veterans to attend a three-day tour of Washington D.C., to see each of the many memorials and military museums that dot the Capitol.

“My sons signed me up for the Honor Flight two and a half years ago,” said Anderson. “I got a letter in May from the Honor Flight telling me that my name was selected. There was 207 veterans that flew to Washington D.C. We flew out of Hector Field on the 28th of September at 8:30 in the morning and landed at Baltimore, Washington Airport at about 12:30 that same day.

“When we got off, they had everything arranged perfectly,” he continued. “The veteran does nothing but listen to instructions. They carry your bag from the bus, they’ve got wheelchairs if you need a wheelchair and they give you everything you could ever imagine.”

During that first day in Washington D.C., Anderson and his two sons, Jeremy and Tory, got on their bus and drove 58 miles to the National Museum of the United States Army where they spent about an hour and a half. Everyone on the Honor Flight who was a member of the Army (about 140 men) had their picture taken. 

Next, the group went to the Air Force Museum, another 15 miles away. Anderson mentioned that as nice as all of the museum were, the Air Force Museum was one of his favorites, with a spectacular tribute to those in the Air Force. They then moved on to their motel, which was only a few miles away.

“We got unloaded there and then we had to report down to our banquet, they put a banquet on the first night we were there,” said Anderson. “We went to the banquet room and were fed a tremendous meal. They fed about 300 of us in 45 minutes, so they really respect people when they come there. You never went hungry there.”

After breakfast on the second day, the group took off for the FDR Memorial, where they spent an hour and a half before arriving at the World War II Museum. Another great day of touring the Nation’s Capitol came and went, but the highlight of day two was at the banquet that evening.

“We had the shock of our lives,” said Anderson. “I had not heard the words ‘mail call’ since 1972. In Vietnam, it took approximately three and a half to four weeks for a letter to arrive from the States. My mother and dad would write me every week, but from other people, you didn’t hear from them. At mail call, there wasn’t a veteran in the place that didn’t get something.

“They contacted family members and had them contact friends to send mail. I got 29 letters. That’s more than I got in Vietnam,” he laughed. “It was so neat, I got a letter from each of my grandkids. Dinee Dykhoff, I believe it was her third grade class, every one of those pupils wrote me a letter and signed it and said thank you for your service. It was just tremendous.”

Day three was a busy day for the group with the first stop at the Korean War Memorial, one that Anderson commented was one of the “most beautiful” memorials he had seen. He mentioned that they had seen it during the day and it’s said it is even more memorable at night, something he would like to go back to see someday. From there, they drove to the Military Women’s Memorial.

“Two hundred and six of the veterans were men,” said Anderson. “There was one veteran that was a lady, she was an Army nurse. I respect anybody that’s in the military, but those young nurses, they didn’t have to be over there, they volunteered to go over to Vietnam and I thank them from the bottom of my heart, because they saved many many soldiers.”

The next stop was at Arlington National Cemetery, where over 400,000 people are buried. The requirements to be buried there included being in the military, being overseas in a combat zone, or being a spouse of someone in the military. With rows and rows of white gravestones, Arlington was an emotional stop for the group.

“We’re free here in America because of those men and women, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart,” said Anderson.

The next stop on the whirlwind day was the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, where 22 of the veterans had their photo taken. Next was the Army Memorial where Anderson was able to see everything from World War II to Korea, and then the Vietnam Museum where he was interviewed about his experience.

Next was the National Archives, which was the one stop where the group needed to go through security. Everywhere else, they were waved through and were exempt from enduring the long lines and waits of security, but at the Archives, everyone went through their screening.

“It’s beautiful, because there sits the Constitution of the United States of America,” said Anderson. “There sits the Bill of Rights and every amendment.”

The group then went to the Navy Memorial where every submarine, ship, carrier, and destroyer that the United States ever built was showcased. Anderson said that the USS Arizona stood out the most as he has been to Hawaii to see where it’s still harbored at Pearl Harbor.

The last stop on the tour was Fort McHenry, where Francis Scott Key watched and waited for the bombardment to end and where he penned the Star Spangled Banner. The group watched a film about that night and ended with a sight of the American flag and heard those words that Francis Scott Key wrote so many years ago.

From there, the group made their way back to the Baltimore Airport and loaded the airplane. As they left, the fire department gave a water salute over the airplane as a blessing. In three and a half hours, the veterans were all back in Fargo.

“We got something that 55 years ago didn’t happen,” said Anderson, getting emotional. “There wasn’t a person in Hector Airfield that didn’t clap, welcome you home and shake your hand and said thank you for your service. There were so many law enforcement officials and they all shook your hand as you went by.”

The veterans loaded buses at Hector Airport and headed to the Fargo Dome where the patriotic guard, highway patrolmen, fire department, rescue, and many others greeted them, along with around 15,000 people to give them a proper welcome home. The welcome that many of the veterans had never received when they arrived home over a half century ago.

“My grandson was there,” said Anderson. “I didn’t expect him there, he drove to the Dome and was the second person that I saw and I lost it. He said ‘thank you, grandpa, for what you did.’ The pastor of my church drove all the way from New York Mills to Fargo with his family and said welcome home, thank you.

“So this trip was a blessing to me, it was healing,” he continued. “I did go up for the first time in 55 years, I went to the wall, there’s three guys from my unit on the wall. That was healing in itself. I drew closer to my two sons than I’ve ever been. I’ve drawn a lot closer to the people that are thankful for what us veterans have done and I thank everybody from the bottom of my heart.”

Anderson said that he gained 207 friends from that trip. Everyone received a book with everyone’s information from the trip, their address and phone number, dates of service, etc.

“It was a tremendous group of guys,” he said. “I still have guys calling me from Lake Park, Hawley, Dilworth, Moorhead, Fargo, it’s tremendous, you just gain so many friends.

“If you have the chance, if you are a veteran and haven’t made the flight, sign up for it,” he continued. “It is something that you will remember for the rest of your life. It doesn’t cost a veteran a dime. It’s a trip the boys will never forget and I’ll never forget it.”