WWII Army veteran excited about Honor Flight to D.C.
By Mary Kate knorr mknorr@stmedianetwork.com June 18, 2012 10:48AM
David Jameson, a 90-year-old world war II vet, who is going on an Honor Flight next week, pictured at his home with his portrait from 1943 and medals at Essington Place in Joliet, Illinois, Monday, June 10, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: July 19, 2012 6:02AM
Described by his son as “simple yet intelligent, sweet but tough,” Dave Jameson beamed as he recounted his five years with the military during World War II. He showcased pictures, books, medals and maps, illustrating, in detail, his travels through the United States and Europe during the 1940s.
When asked why he decided to enlist all those years ago, he responded with a smile: “I love the Army.”
On Tuesday, Jameson will be flown to Washington, D.C., by a program called Honor Flight Network, which sends Army veterans on trips to visit “those memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices,” according to the program’s mission statement. The trip will last only one day, but will be an event Jameson will remember for the rest of his life.
“I am so excited,” he said.
Jameson enlisted in the Army in 1940, a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was a member of the Cannon Company of the 320th Infantry Regiment of the 35th Infantry Division when he spent time in Tennessee, Michigan, California, Alabama and New Jersey, before traveling to Europe in 1944.
Jameson was in England on D-Day and landed at Omaha Beach 30 days afterward. While in Europe, he fought through France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Holland and Germany.
But Jameson’s most vivid memories of the war come from his time in Gen. Patton’s Third Army. Specifically, while in combat during the Battle of the Bulge.
“(The Allies) made a mistake. They thought the Germans were finished. They didn’t realize they were building up and (then they) made that big push. A lot of boys died because they made that mistake,” he said. “That’s the way war goes, I guess, you know?”
Fifteen years ago, Jameson received a bronze medal for his participation in the Battle of the Bulge, which he proudly displays alongside five other campaign battle stars.
Jameson said even decades later, appreciation is not hard to come by.
“I’ve had people stop me on the street and thank me for my service,” he said. “You feel it, you know? That makes you feel real good.”
And the proud veteran’s gushing about his upcoming trip makes it impossible to believe anyone else could deserve this honor more than he.
“It makes me feel wonderful. I appreciate that after all these years, people still appreciate what we did during the war.”
He then added, “I’m no hero. I’m just a soldier who did my duty.”
