Podcast
Honor. Thank. Inspire. An Honor Flight Chicago Podcast
Hosted by Honor Flight Chicago · EN
Join us as long-time ABC 7 reporter Paul Meincke sits down with our senior war heroes from WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War to explore their stories and memories of serving their nation.
11episodes
Episodes
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Episode 98: A Gold Star Family's Fight to Honor Their Fallen
3w ago00:51:11Tap to summarizeKen Duggar was badly wounded in Vietnam. He was hospitalized for months and came home to recuperate before his guilt at leaving his brothers-in-arms behind in the field led him to re-enlist. He got as far as Germany before complications from his original wounds led to his death. Because he died away from Vietnam, his sister, Phyllis, had to fight for years to have Ken's name added to the Wall. She won. This is her story.
Transcribe →Episode 97: Shot Down 3 Times: Mike Bubacz’s Jungle Survival
Feb 2000:40:10Tap to summarizeMarine Corps Veteran Michael Bubacz did two tours in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, assigned to train and serve alongside South Vietnamese Marines during helicopter missions into Laos and Cambodia. Three times Hueys he was aboard were shot down. The final instance led to more than two weeks of a wounded Bubacz surviving alone in the jungle, waiting for rescue.
Transcribe →Episode 96: Hayley Ermer Serves Our Veterans, Honors Her Father
Feb 1600:34:51Tap to summarizeHayley Ermer volunteers with Honor Flight Chicago as a "red shirt:" a medical professional who gives of their time and expertise to ensure a safe and comfortable day for our Veterans. Hayley's own father served in Vietnam, and her work with HFC's heroes has helped her understand her dad's experience in war and the resulting PTSD he brought home with him.
Transcribe →Episode 95: Vietnam Veteran Gary Holian's Gold Star Family
Jan 2300:42:08Tap to summarizeIn the Spring of 1971, Gary Holian surprised his family by coming home for his R&R from Vietnam. The Gary who arrived at their doorstep was quite unlike the Gary they knew before he left for war. Three months later, Gary was killed when his Huey gunship was shot down over the DMZ. His sisters, Jody and Lory, traveled on Honor Flight Chicago's Mission 125 in September of 2025 to honor his memory. They share their family's story here.
Transcribe →Episode 94: Arnie Oskin, Army Psych Specialist
Dec 2300:43:55Tap to summarizeArnie Oskin never saw combat in Vietnam, but he witnessed firsthand its effects on those who did. Arnie's profession was social work, and he used his skills as a neuro-psychiatric specialist to make recommendations around the mental state of veterans coming back from Vietnam. Over a long career in the Army, Arnie's own mental well-being was affected by what he saw.
Transcribe →Episode 93: Green Beret Bruce Hill Serves Country, Fellow Veterans
Nov 1700:33:31Tap to summarizeArmy Special Forces Veteran Bruce Hill served in Laos during the Vietnam War as part of clandestine operations that were not formally acknowledged for many years. Though Hill made it home, a Vietnam tragedy unrelated to his time in Laos changed his life forever, and set him on a path toward honoring his fellow Veteran at every turn.
Transcribe →Episode 92: We Were Soldiers: The Battle of Ia Drang Valley
Oct 2100:38:52Tap to summarizeThe Battle of Ia Drang in November of 1965 was the first major battle between the U.S. Army and the North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War. The engagement -- which resulted in 237 dead and 258 wounded on the American side -- spawned a critically acclaimed book and a major motion picture detailing the events around Landing Zones X-Ray and Albany. Lieutenant Bob Konrardy was there. This is his story.
Transcribe →Episode 91: Carl Adams and the K9 Sentries of Phan Rang
Oct 600:48:58Tap to summarizeCarl Adams spent the Vietnam War walking his dog. As an Air Force sentry dog handler at Phan Rang Air Base, Carl's job was to patrol the perimeter each night to defend against sappers and other attacks. The adventures of Carl and his sentry dog, Andy, were often entertaining, sometimes irreverent, and occasionally terrifying -- but above all else, the K9 unit was known for its dedication and professionalism in the field.
Transcribe →Episode 90: Jim Miller and the Aftermath of an Attack
Aug 2500:39:33Tap to summarizeIn May of 1969, Jim Miller was badly wounded in a sapper attack on his firebase near the infamous "Hamburger Hill." In the months that followed, Jim had to re-learn how to walk. He also sought to learn exactly what had happened that day, a process that took far longer.
Transcribe →Episode 89: Honoring Timothy Fitzmaurice and Gold Star Families
Aug 500:53:09Tap to summarizeOn May 9, 1968, Marine Corps L/Cpl Timothy Fitzmaurice was killed in action in Thua Thien Province, Vietnam. His sisters, Ellen Shea and Maureen Schiesser, remember in vivid detail the subsequent knock on the door at their family home. More than 57 years later, Ellen and Maureen joined HFC123 as our inaugural Gold Star Family participants to honor their brother's sacrifice as well as their own.
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