The local veterans who took part in the June 2014 Northland Honor Flight visited the memorials honoring our nation’s veterans in Washington, D.C. Above: (Staff photo/ Rhonda Silence) One of the nicest things about the Honor Flight is the “mail” that veterans receive on the flight. This year’s trip participants were guardian Orvis Lunke, veteran Lenny Sobanja, veteran Dave Palmer, guardian Penny Schuppel. The veterans are showing some of the mail they received. Schuppel, Dave Palmer’s daughter, shares the album she put together about her dad’s naval service and the Honor Flight. Left: (Photo by Penny Schuppel) They also enjoyed meeting some active duty service people—and this paratrooper—who visited with Dave Palmer about military aircraft through the years.
Dave Palmer and Lenny Sobanja, both from Grand Marais, were the latest local veterans to take part in a Northland Honor Flight, traveling with their fellow veterans from Duluth to Washington, D.C. and back in one day for special recognition of their military service. The Cook County News-Herald spent a little time with them recently to learn more about their service and the Honor Flight.
Dave Palmer enlisted in the Navy in 1943 and attended gunnery school in Purcell, Oklahoma. “Every morning we had to run seven miles,” remembered Palmer.
Palmer was an aviation radio man, an ARM 3rd Class. He became a member of the Naval Air Corps and found himself riding in the back of the airplanes—dive bombers. “What a ride!” he said.
Dave flew along both coastlines, Pacific and Atlantic when he was stationed at Alameda, California and Providence, Rhode Island. Dave laughs though, when he explains that he spent almost as much time on trains as planes. He made two trips cross-country by rail while in the Navy, from Farragut, Idaho to Memphis, Tennessee. Dave got out of the Navy on June 4, 1946 after a stint as station keeper.
Lenny Sobanja also enlisted, over her mother’s objection. “My mom wouldn’t sign for me. My dad did,” she said. She served in the Air Force from February 18, 1952 – April 18, 1953 and left the service as an Airman 2nd Class.
Sobanja was a WAF, a member of the Women’s Air Force, one of only 3,000 women in the Air Force at that time. When the WAFs arrived at Lackland Air Base in San Antonio, Texas, Sobanja said, “The base wasn’t ready for us!”
The WAFs were called on to perform duties to free up their male counterparts. Sobanja was stationed in Sacramento, California at Mather AFB Hospital where she worked as an X-ray technician.
Her time in military service earned her extra points for civil service where she continued to break ground as one of the first women (with Rachel Helmerson) employed at the U.S. Customs & Border Patrol at the Pigeon River Station in Grand Portage.
On Friday, July 11, 2014, American Legion Post 413 surprised veteran and Legion member Orvis Lunke with recognition for his volunteer work with the Northland Honor Flight. Lunke has served as a “guardian” on four Honor Flights, assisting World War II veterans on the trip to Washington, D.C. to see the World War II Memorial and other famous historic sites. Bob Mattson presented the beautiful plaque bearing the Honor Flight insignia which reads, “Thank you from your fellow veterans.”
Throughout the Honor Flight trip, women currently serving on active duty stopped Sobanja. “They kept saying, ‘thank you for paving the way for us.’” Sobanja said.
Both of the Cook County veterans were very impressed by the military precision with which the Honor Flight was run, from their take off at the Duluth Airport in the early hours of the morning to their landing at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. and via bus to all of the memorials and sites they visited.
After they landed in Washington, D.C., Sobanja said, “I think half the police force met us, lights flashing!”
Palmer said the police led the Honor Flight tour buses through traffic. “We had a police escort through traffic—we never stopped at a light, they stopped traffic for us.”
There were two volunteer paramedics from Duluth on the flight and soldiers or sailors on the buses. “There was a sailor on our bus,” said Palmer. “There were six or seven guys with us. All of our military helpers gave up their day off to help us.”
Each veteran also had a volunteer “guardian” to help them on the tour. Sobanja’s guardian was Debbie Field from Stillwater, Minnesota.
Dave’s guardian was his daughter, Penny Schuppel of Grand Marais. Penny said, “This is the most wonderful program. I’ve never seen anything like it, so precise and planned out. We even had our bus break down. While we were at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, they fixed it!”
Also on the June Honor Flight was veteran Orvis Lunke of Grand Marais, who has served as a volunteer guardian four times. Lunke said he is always moved when the Honor Flight conducts “Mail Call” and letters from the veterans’ friends and families are distributed.
Palmer and Sobanja both received letters from Lorelei Livingston’s third-grade class. Lenny Sobanja knew about mail call because her husband Leonard had been on a previous Honor Flight, so she wasn’t surprised. But she was pleased to receive a letter from Leonard with the salutation, “to my beloved wife.”
Palmer received a letter from his wife, Flossie, reminiscent of ones she sent years ago, marked with a lipstick kiss and the message SWAK.
The North Shore veterans were greatly touched by the number of people who turned out to send them off, to welcome them to Washington, D.C. and to welcome them home.
Among the hundred-plus people seeing the veterans off from Duluth at 5 a.m. was Congressman Rick Nolan. They were greeted at the Washington, D.C. airport and veterans monuments by hundreds more. Palmer was touched that they were met by a group of sailors decked out in their dress whites at the airport. There were people lined up along the walk to the World War II monument with flags.
Sobanja said she was impressed by the Patriot Guard Rolling Thunder motorcycle group that accompanied the buses through the city. She also enjoyed seeing a group of people in the airport in 1940s attire, dancing the jitterbug.
Palmer and Sobanja were moved by the monuments as well. Palmer said, “I really liked the Korean War Memorial—the field of 19 figures. It was eerie.”
Sobanja agreed, “It just grabbed your heart— it looked like they were coming off the battlefield. Then, around the corner there was a peaceful pond with a fountain.”
The veterans were also impressed with the Iwo Jima statue of Marines raising the flag, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Air Force Memorial.
Back in Duluth, despite the late hour there was once again a huge crowd with “Welcome Home” banners. “I was so impressed with all the handshakes, hugs and kisses,” said Palmer. “The trip was fantastic.”
Sobanja agreed, “I would say awesome, but I need a new adjective. Someone asked me my favorite part, but I can’t pick one thing.” The next Northland Honor Flight will be on June 6, 2015. Priority for flight goes to WWII veterans with remaining seats going to veterans from other conflicts. For more information, visit www.honorflightnorthland.org or call (218) 409-6110.
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