Episodes
Thursday Mar 23, 2023
Episode 48: Ed Helrigel’s Two Tours of Vietnam
Thursday Mar 23, 2023
Thursday Mar 23, 2023
Ed Helrigel returned from Vietnam to a world he no longer recognized. From the heat of battle one day to arriving home the next, it was a reality that plagued many of his comrades-in-arms. For Ed, the toll of his transition back to the United States led him to volunteer for a second tour of Vietnam, where at least his brothers understood the world they occupied.
Thursday Feb 23, 2023
Episode 47: Sonny Djancewicz’s Leadership In The Jungles of Vietnam
Thursday Feb 23, 2023
Thursday Feb 23, 2023
Sonny Djancewicz saw constant action in the Vietnamese jungles as a Sergeant in the 7th Cavalry Regiment. The physical and emotional scars of battle, though many, were not enough to dim his singular focus: keeping the men in his command as safe as possible. His bravery earned him three Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts, but only recently did he become interested in receiving the medals at the urging of his family.
Tuesday Feb 07, 2023
Episode 46: WWII B-24 Pilot Howard Levinson’s Dream To Fly
Tuesday Feb 07, 2023
Tuesday Feb 07, 2023
Howard Levinson grew up in extreme poverty in Chicago and from a very young age experienced rampant anti-Semitism. He dreamed to fly, pushing through the obstacles of resources and ignorance to become a B-24 pilot in the Pacific at the tender age of 21. Though his crew feared he would be a "coward" because of his Jewish religion, he taught them a lesson in heroism they would never forget. Howard has continued to teach his entire life, including 75 years as a flight instructor.
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
Episode 45: Vietnam Veteran Dee Simmons and the Impact of Agent Orange
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
Army SPC/5 Richard "Dee" Simmons saw and experienced a lot during his time in Vietnam, but nothing stuck with him more -- literally -- than the Agent Orange defoliant that would cake on his skin to the point that it could be peeled off. In addition to the resulting physical health struggles, Dee like so many deals with PTSD. After years of avoidance, Dee now embraces his story and shares it for younger generations to learn. It also bears noting that Dee is one of our most active and dedicated volunteers.
Monday Jan 09, 2023
Episode 44: Purple Heart Veteran Jerry Warren and Race in the Vietnam War
Monday Jan 09, 2023
Monday Jan 09, 2023
Jerry Warren is a born leader, a trait that was instantly recognized in his Army training prior to being sent to Vietnam. Jerry, who is Black, quickly made Sergeant and was placed in charge of a unit comprising all white soldiers. Though they functioned well as a team, there was a prejudicial undercurrent that could not be escaped.
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Episode 43: Korean War Veteran Elaine Ansbro and NORAD
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Elaine Ansbro has had a fascination with flying and aviation since she was a young girl. With that in mind, she joined the Air Force during the Korean War in the hopes of taking wing. She soon found out she was too tall at 5-foot-8 to serve aboard aircraft, and instead learned a new skill she still has to this day: writing backward. Find out how that job aided the war effort, and experience Elaine's love of singing in our latest episode of Honor. Thank. Inspire!
Saturday Dec 03, 2022
Episode 42: Jerry Sperry, One of the Korean War’s Chosin Few
Saturday Dec 03, 2022
Saturday Dec 03, 2022
Marine Corps Veteran Jerry Sperry received two Purple Heart medals for his service in the Korean War. The first came in South Korea, while the second came during the frozen Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the North. Now in his 90s, Jerry's current mission is to educate future generations about the "Chosin Few" who fought that battle.
Friday Nov 11, 2022
Episode 41: Vietnam Veteran Jim Weinstein’s Mission To Find Himself
Friday Nov 11, 2022
Friday Nov 11, 2022
Marine Corps Lance Corporal Jim Weinstein enlisted in the Marines to escape a troubled youth full of drink and drugs. Jim endured many close calls on the battlefields of Vietnam including one that resulted in his family receiving an erroneous death notice. All of it added up to another battle with PTSD following his service. Jim says of his Honor Flight Chicago experience: "For 50 years after I got back I couldn't cry. It's now six days after my flight, and I still have a lump in my throat that I hope never goes away."
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Episode 40: WWII Veteran Howard Hill And the Aftermath of Nagasaki
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Howard Hill joined the Navy at 17-years-old toward the tail end of WWII. At war's end, he was on a ship bound for Japan to pick up POWs who had been housed in prison camps near Nagasaki. With camera in hand, Howard walked the streets of the city and documented first-hand the destructive power of the atom bomb.
Friday Oct 07, 2022
Episode 39: Small Town America and the Vietnam War
Friday Oct 07, 2022
Friday Oct 07, 2022
Honor Flight Chicago alum Danny Anderson hails from Gardner, Illinois. A town of 1,400 that sits 60 miles southwest of Chicago in Grundy county, Gardner saw five of its young men not return home from Vietnam. Danny himself was wounded there. He and longtime friends Earl Fatlan and Gary Kociss -- also Vietnam veterans -- sat down with Paul Meincke to discuss their experiences.