World War II vets recount D.C. trip

A group of Bedford County World War II veterans and their family members pose in front of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Virginia. The memorial is a sculpture based on the famous photo of the U.S. flag being raised over Iwo Jima. (Submitted photo)

A group of World War II veterans who recently participated in a bus tour of Washington, D.C. that included the World War II Memorial, spoke Thursday to the Shelbyville Rotary Club, a primary sponsor of the trip, to talk about what it means to them and to receive the thanks of grateful Rotarians for their service.

Bill Tipps, a Vietnam veteran who served as the tour group leader, said one of the gratifying things about the trip was the way it encouraged the veterans to talk about their experiences.

"We heard a lot of stories," said Tipps, "... some of them were heart-rending, some of them were comical, all of them were real life."

Virgil Crowell, right, shows a photo of his World War II service to Bill Tipps during a presentation at Thursday's meeting of the Rotary Club of Shelbyville. Crowell was one of 10 World War II veterans who went on a Rotary-sponsored trip to Washington, with Tipps as tour group leader. (T-G Photo by John I. Carney) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Tipps said that at some of the memorials, children and teenagers came up to the men, and, awed that they were actual World War II veterans, asked to have their photos taken with them.

Vets speak out

Veterans like Virgil Crowell, 86, rose to talk about their experiences. Some spoke about the trip, others about their wartime service.

Crawford "B. Cook" Henson, 87, a veteran of Iwo Jima, saw both the initial flag-raising and the later raising of a larger flag which was depicted in a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph which was immortalized in bronze as the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Virginia, one of the stops on the tour.

James Winnette, 86, recalled meeting Gen. George S. Patton when Patton was leading training maneuvers in Fairfield, and then meeting him again in Europe. Patton still remembered him, said Winnette.

John Jarman, 86, said he could not have been more pleased with the trip.

"Everything was just perfect," said Jarman.

Julian Troupe, 89, who flew B-26 bombers for the Army Air Force, had been to Washington before but had not seen all of the sights on the tour.

"I saw a lot more this time than I did last time," said Troupe. "I think everyone that went up there enjoyed it very much."

Claude White, 89, recalled his service in the Pacific.

"I went from island to island," he said, "and there were a lot of islands."

Awesome experience

Oscar Williams, 92, was awed by the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers and by the massive buildings in Washington -- not tall, like skyscrapers, but long and stately. He recalled getting separated from his daughter Emily at the hotel after an elevator overload that trapped several of the veterans for a few minutes.

The elevator stoppage and a breakdown of a trolley at Arlington National Cemetery were joked about and regarded as only minor inconveniences in a memorable and meaningful trip.

James Spence and Bill May were also participants in the trip but were not present for Thursday's club meeting.

Jim Allison praised Rotarian Robert Daniel for his hard work in fundraising and organizing the trip.

The National World War II Memorial opened on the Mall in Washington in 2004, and so many of the men whose service it honors have never had the opportunity to see it. That is the motivation behind efforts to send veterans to Washington.