All we need is 150 people to donate $100 and we’ll have raised enought money to honor these men.

Dr. Rice Drewry, son of a WWII B-24 tailgunner, wrote a song honoring his dad and other veterans. Drewry was inspired to write it after he went on a trip to Washington D.C with Forever Young. His father was one of the veterans being honored.

Source: Commercial Appeal, Photo by Mike Brown

UTAH BEACH, France — Just like that history-changing morning so long ago, the tide is out and a stiff wind scours the sand, but W.T. Hardwick can’t quite reconcile the serene beach before him with the smoke and chaos of his memories.

He’s dreamt often about this place, about the artillery raining down and men falling and his capture. Now, hand-in-hand with his daughter and granddaughter, he looks out beyond the breaking waves and sees an empty horizon where thousands of ships once clogged the English Channel. Read More…

“Sixty-seven years earlier, these men went to Europe to fight and now they’re going back,” said Forever Young volunteer, David Bradshaw, whose father landed on Utah beach on June 8^th, 1944. “Some are going back to Normandy where they came ashore to see the beach, to see it without the blood of the dead and dying and to see it without the noise of machine guns, artillery, and the screams of their countrymen,” he added.

“They wanted to see it without the knots in their stomachs from knowing they’d probably never get off the beach.  Some were going for closure of dreadful, horrible memories that were burned into their minds so very long ago,” said Bradshaw. ” He wishes he would have been experience the trip with his father, but instead, he enjoyed it with men of similar stature:

Ken Thomas, 88, was a combat medic with the 322^nd Medical Battalion.  Most foot soldiers would say that combat medics were their heroes. They risked their lives in the thick of battle to rescue and treat the wounded.  The medics didn’t carry weapons, but they carried bandages, morphine, and hope.

Vince Rowell, 87, was a soldier with the 29^th Infantry Division. He landed on Omaha Beach in the second wave on D-Day, June 6, 1944, unaware that his best friend, who went in with the first wave, had been killed before he even got off the beach.  He fought all the way to the Battle of the Bulge. Vince was going back to say, ‘Goodbye.’

Sam Reaves, 85, was a ball turret gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress in the 396^th Bomb Group, 8^th Air Force. On his 19^th mission, Sam was shot down by German artillery over France.  A ball turret is a glass bubble that hangs below the aircraft and holds twin 50 cal. machine guns and the ball turret gunner.  There is room for nothing else.  The turret was electrically and hydraulically operated.  After take off, the gunner would rotate the bubble and close the hatch.  Then he would rotate the turret to its fighting position.  During their bomb runs, many of these aircraft were shot up and their hydraulic and electrical systems shot away.  As a result, many brave men died – trapped in a glass bubble.  Sam was lucky. He got off the turret, bailed out over France, and was reunited with his group.

Olin Pickens, 89, was a combat infantryman. He was captured by the Germans and spent 26 months in a POW camp.  Olin escaped after being a prisoner for several months and managed to remain free for a few weeks.  He would travel at night and hide during the day. He was recaptured when an Arab saw where he and a buddy were hiding and turned them in to the Germans for $1.00.  Olin said he has spent 67 years trying to forgive that man.

W.T. Hardwick, 87, was a combat infantry soldier who went on Utah Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944.  W.T. was captured in the hedgerows of France by the Nazis and spent many months as a POW. W.T. was returned to Utah Beach with his wife, daughters, and granddaughter. When they arrive at the beach, they all held each other and wept.

Richard Elliott, 87, went through Normandy several weeks after the invasion  fought in the Battle of the Bulge and later crossed the Rhine River.  As he traced his steps on the trip, he realized the Ardenne Forest was probably the very place he fought 67 years ago.  The foxholes were still visible and the forest dark and cold.  He couldn’t get over the beauty of  homes around the Rhine River.  He said, “ When we were here, everything was destroyed.  I can’t believe how perfect it looks now.”

Jack Clairborne, 86, and James Refsnider, 87, were shipmates on a naval ship at Omaha Beach. They were there as support and to drive the boys to the beach.  How wonderful to experience this trip with your buddy who serviced with you 67 years ago.

The idea to go France came out of an interview Forever Young Founder, Diane Hight had with a newspaper. She was asked what would be her “one wish” would be, if she could receive one.  “I’d like to visit Normandy, France with a group of WWII veterans,” Diane said. “I love listening to their stories and I know it would be a life-changing experience for me.”

The vision was born and four years later, Diane’s dream came true.  “Like most people, I never thought my dream would be fulfilled,” she said. “I’m in utter disbelief of the trip I just experienced. It was very emotional. ”

The trip was a time of healing and closure for many of these veterans. “I always felt responsible for those young boys getting killed,” said Roy Cannon. “Since returning from Europe, I feel so much better about my life.” Jim Young, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge said, “It’s hard to put into words what this trip meant to me. I can’t express it. The emotion is too deep.”

Diane says thank you to everyone who helped make this trip possible.  They have given a gift too valuable to comprehend. May God Bless those who have served our great nation.  May God Bless America.

The Memphis newspaper, The Commercial Appeal, accompanied Forever Young and documented the events of each day.  The story can be read here.

To see more pictures from the trip, go to Forever Young’s Facebook Page by clicking here.

Ballard is not a stranger to this knoll of earth. He stood on a pitcher’s mound many times before.  In 1939, Ballard was a pitcher and shortstop for St. Louis’ minor league team, the Johnson City Cardinals.  A scout from the St. Louis Cardinals had recruited him to play for their organization after getting out of the Navy.  However, Ballard’s dream was short-lived. “ I didn’t get to play for St. Louis very long. Hitler was kicking up his heels, so I had to return to the Navy,” said Ballard. “My country needed me.”

Ballard had an unfulfilled dream. He wanted to throw out the first pitch for St. Louis Cardinals and the baseball team graciously agreed. Ballard’s grandsons, Don and Darin Ballard took him to St. Louis to be honored for his contribution to baseball and to our great nation.

Ballard outlived his two sons, so being with his grandsons made the event even more special for him.  He wore a Cardinals’ jersey with “Ballard” perfectly spaced on the back. Ballard was handed the ball and he stepped onto the mound. As he turned the ball gently in his grasp, one couldn’t help but think about the various experiences these hands had witnessed throughout the years: holding portions of a zero airplane from a kamikaze after hitting his ship during WWII, driving his first Model A Ford that he purchased for $110, or preaching and converting KFC Founder Colonel Harland Sanders to the Lord under his ministry.

These 95-year-old hands have seen it all, and in 2011, they threw a perfect pitch. Even his grandsons were surprised on his precision. “I impressed myself”, said Ballard. “ I didn’t know if I’d be able to get it to the catcher or not, but I did.  It was a great feeling to know I still had it in me,” he said with a laugh.

“The most exciting thing was seeing the crowd’s response when they made the announcement about my baseball career and WWII Navy service,” said Ballard.
“Everyone cheered and gave me a standing ovation. WOW!” Ballard added. “Does it get any better than this?,” the veteran questioned. “When you get my age, you think life is over and then here comes Forever Young and makes me feel important again,” said Ballard. “God is so good to me.”

18-year-old Bill Drewry in 1943

My emotional highlight of Forever Young’s April 2011 trip to Washington DC for World War II veterans was watching my Dad salute his fallen comrades as a bugler played Taps.

We were standing at the Tennessee column of the WWII Memorial, where the veterans had gathered.  They had just finished naming the dead–calling out one by one all the boys they knew who hadn’t come home.  As the last bugle note faded to silence, tourists young and old, from all over the world pressed forward, eager to speak to the veterans.  They wiped tears from their eyes, saying over and over, “Thank you. Thank you for your service.”

Our group of heroes shook hands and said with understated dignity that they didn’t consider themselves special, just men and women with a crucial job to do.  So they took the hill, tended the wounded, escaped from prison camp, stormed the beach, parachuted into enemy territory. They saved lives and protected freedom.

My own Dad was a tailgunner on a B-24, The Green Hornet.  He was seventeen when he signed up for service and flew his first mission a few days after his nineteenth birthday. Like thousands of others, he served his country, returned home, got a job, married, had children, and never spoke of his war experiences.

Only after we were grown did we, his family, hear stories of what it was like to fly bombing runs over Germany in heavy clouds and flak.  We heard about how loud the planes were, how bitterly cold, how often they ran low on fuel and had to “land on fumes.”  We heard about the heart-stopping moment Dad sat in his tailgunner’s position, eye to eye with the German pilot of an ME 262 jet fighter on an attack curve.

But mostly we learned about Dad’s regard for his fellow crew members, and the special bond they formed over the course of 35 missions. In their later years, they reached out to contact one another, corresponded, and visited.  Of that brave crew, Dad is now the “last man standing.” When he was interviewed by the NBC Today Show about this special visit to the WWII Memorial, he said he wished only that his fellow crew members were there to receive the honors, and that he would accept on their behalf.

The outpouring of gratitude and respect for our veterans was the hallmark of every stop on the trip.  We saw it at the Marine Museum, where soldiers stood at attention in the rain to salute our arrival, at the Air Force Memorial, the Iwo Jima monument, and the other war memorials, as if people had been waiting for this chance to meet and thank our heroes. At airport arrivals and departures, our veterans were celebrated with cheers and handshakes, even a water canon salute over our plane arriving in DC.  We heard bands strike up the songs of all the branches of service–”Over hill, over dale….Anchors away, my boys….From the halls of Montezuma….Off we go into the wild blue yonder”–each stirring anthem catching in my throat.

I can’t overemphasize the efficiency and hard work of Diane Hight and the Forever Young organizers of the trip, supported in their efforts by Travel Leaders of Collierville, Woodsbridge Elks Lodge, the Memphis Fire Department, Bellevue Baptist Church and other generous individuals and groups. Every detail was attended to, every contingency considered, so that the trip was enjoyable and comfortable for the veterans and their family members. Logistics aside, what gives this program its special character is the obvious affection and regard Diane displays for the veterans–each one of them is made to feel personally honored and appreciated.

My Dad, “Tailgunner,” had the trip of a lifetime.  So did his family members who were lucky enough to be part of the group. It was an experience we will remember all our lives.

Contact Diane: 901.299.7516 or diane@foreveryoungseniorwish.org.

*Picture Courtesy of Channel on Flickr

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