(KTVI - FOX2now.com) -
No matter what the calendar says, for three dozen Missouri World War Two veterans, Wednesday is their own personal Memorial Day. They will see, in person, the monument which America built to say thank you. One of the veterans making the trip is Lorraine Hageman, who served as an aviation machinist mate in the Navy, joining from St. Louis when she was just 20 years old.
"On the flight line there was one special section for cross country flights and only the officers could take the planes, I was in charge of those six planes," recalls Hageman. "What always surprises everybody and me too to this day is that I had to actually get in there and start them up. And test the magnetos. Now don't ask me what a magneto is because I don't think it's a word anymore, but I had to test the magnetos."
She won't be testing magnetos on her Wednesday morning flight. It will take her to a place no other flight ever has or ever will.
"I can't even explain how it feels," says Hageman.
36 other veterans and their guardians will make the trip, including Darrell Cope
"I guess my feelings would be better explained to say I'm kinda anxious," he says. "I'm from Hartville, Missouri, which is 50 miles east of Springfield and 35 miles south of Lebanon on five highway."
"There's no one from down in our area that's been up there," he says.
Cope landed in Omaha just days after D Day. He was a Platoon Sergeant, then became a First Sergeant. "If there was a dangerous mission I never said, 'Men go do this, go do that,' I said, 'Let's do it."
Cope and Hageman were America in world war two. The flight they take Wednesday morning is all paid with through donations. It will take them to Washington DC and back in one day.
Hageman can hardly wait. "I have to tell you that there's only one thing that's more exciting in my life than this trip," she says, "and that is when I was sworn in."
"I felt that when I went in, if I could do whatever they told me to do, I could do anything," recalls Hageman. "It changed my life forever."
Both are modest about the difference they made.
"I don't feel that I did anything special, just did what was required of me, just did my duty," says Cope. "If I had it to do over I'd do it probably just like I did."
Hageman says if she was younger, she would do it all over again, too.
The Franklin County Honor Flight is giving the veterans the chance to go. They've taken more than 430 veterans and guardians since 2007.
Besides their modesty over their courageous service to this country, Hageman and Cope share something else: a birthday. She will be 85 May 31; he wil be 84. Neither thought they'd see the memorial in person.
""It's just amazing," Hageman says. "Just thank everybody for allowing me to go see it. "
"On the flight line there was one special section for cross country flights and only the officers could take the planes, I was in charge of those six planes," recalls Hageman. "What always surprises everybody and me too to this day is that I had to actually get in there and start them up. And test the magnetos. Now don't ask me what a magneto is because I don't think it's a word anymore, but I had to test the magnetos."
She won't be testing magnetos on her Wednesday morning flight. It will take her to a place no other flight ever has or ever will.
"I can't even explain how it feels," says Hageman.
36 other veterans and their guardians will make the trip, including Darrell Cope
"I guess my feelings would be better explained to say I'm kinda anxious," he says. "I'm from Hartville, Missouri, which is 50 miles east of Springfield and 35 miles south of Lebanon on five highway."
"There's no one from down in our area that's been up there," he says.
Cope landed in Omaha just days after D Day. He was a Platoon Sergeant, then became a First Sergeant. "If there was a dangerous mission I never said, 'Men go do this, go do that,' I said, 'Let's do it."
Cope and Hageman were America in world war two. The flight they take Wednesday morning is all paid with through donations. It will take them to Washington DC and back in one day.
Hageman can hardly wait. "I have to tell you that there's only one thing that's more exciting in my life than this trip," she says, "and that is when I was sworn in."
"I felt that when I went in, if I could do whatever they told me to do, I could do anything," recalls Hageman. "It changed my life forever."
Both are modest about the difference they made.
"I don't feel that I did anything special, just did what was required of me, just did my duty," says Cope. "If I had it to do over I'd do it probably just like I did."
Hageman says if she was younger, she would do it all over again, too.
The Franklin County Honor Flight is giving the veterans the chance to go. They've taken more than 430 veterans and guardians since 2007.
Besides their modesty over their courageous service to this country, Hageman and Cope share something else: a birthday. She will be 85 May 31; he wil be 84. Neither thought they'd see the memorial in person.
""It's just amazing," Hageman says. "Just thank everybody for allowing me to go see it. "
