WASHINGTON, D.C. (WZMQ) – On Wednesday’s Upper Peninsula Honor Flight Mission XXVII, WZMQ 19 had the opportunity to hear from a number of local U.P. veterans on the trip. Their experiences, as well as their advice for younger generations, can make quite an impact.
While combat troops are often in the lens of war stories, a bulk of the work done by thousands focused on saving lives, building infrastructure, and shaping the future as these wars went on.
This included Doug Wolfe of Marquette, serving from 1970-93. In his broad 23 years of serving, he worked as a Navy Corpsman, received high ranking in his platoon as a field medic, worked in the Presidential Suite at Walter Reed in Bethesda, Maryland, and was selected to work for the 25th Division Construction Battalion.
Wolfe says this side of the medical field brought unthinkable sights, and that the Upper Peninsula Honor Flight was a way to respect and mourn those lost.
“Medics don’t sit on the sidelines, and I had a great time with those fellows,” he said. “But, as a corpsman, you see injuries that you’re never going to see in civilian life, and here’s a lot of men that represent death here, with wounds that never healed.”
Looking forward, war is now being waged in different ways, with advances in technology adding new challenges to face, and more positions to fill.
Dee Paoli of Chassell served as a Hospital Corpsman in both the Coast Guard (1974-76) and an Officer in the Army (1993-2010), was one of three female veterans on Wednesday’s flight. She says in these changing times, the drive to serve is much less than it used to be.
“It took me away from my family for a long time, but with my military background family, I felt that it was a need,” she said. “With all this strife going on, we need people to stand up and do what’s right.”
In returning from yesterdays flight, one major takeaway with these veterans is that you never know how someone’s experience has shaped their life. If you see someone wearing veteran memorabilia, remember to always thank them for their service.
For more information on the Upper Peninsula Honor Flights, visit their website.
