Ralph Conte Honor Flight

416th Bombardment Group (L)

Honor Flight

Ralph F. Conte

May 19, 2009

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: The following report by Jan Mees, daughter of Ralph Conte (669th and 670th Bomb Sq.):

Central Missouri Honor Flight
May 19, 2009
2 states, the nation’s capitol in 20 hours!

Dear family and friends,

I want to thank you all so much for the letters you wrote to my dad, Ralph Conte, for his Honor Flight adventure. The experience was pretty unbelievable from start to finish. I thought you might like to know a bit about how our 20+ hour day went!

After a short night of restless sleep Monday, I awoke at 2:15 a.m. Tuesday, May 19, 2009, showered, dressed in my special Honor Flight guardian tee shirt, and headed out to pick up Dad. We arrived at our departure point right on time at 3:15 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Select in Columbia.

The bus was waiting and the boarding began – 36 veterans, about 10 who were in wheelchairs. Loading the wheelchairs and the non-ambulatory vets was a long process. Guardians (those of us who accompanied the vets) were assigned tasks such as wheelchair loader, etc. I got the task of attendance taker, just like on elementary school field trips. With clip board in hand, I accounted for 56 people every time we got on after a stop. On average, the loading or unloading of the bus took about 10-15 minutes.

A box breakfast was provided for the bus trip – Hardee’s bacon/sausage biscuit, a doughnut, a muffin and a banana. Right then and there, I gave up on my serious calorie counting and figured I would need all the caloric fuel for the long day!

The bus ride was easy – not much traffic on I-70 at 3:30 a.m. We saw the beginnings of the sunrise from the bus. We arrived at the Southwest terminal at the St. Louis airport and unloaded the bus (a 15 minute affair easily), took bathroom breaks (also a long process), got our boarding passes and headed through security. Unfortunately, TSA ruled, so all of us got to do the shoe removal, belt removal and anything else removal as mandated by law. Another adventure in patience! (BTW, on the return trip, the Baltimore airport allowed the vets to proceed through security without taking off their shoes, but we young (!) guardians had to obey the law) The gate we were assigned was at the end of the terminal (this was not supposed to happen, but the best laid plans….) The flight was perfect. On time, quiet and not turbulent! Blueberry breakfast bar consumed on that part of the trip. The most astonishing part and one that was duplicated at many times during the day was the reaction of bystanders. The flight attendant explained to the passengers who this large group was and thanked the men for their service. Her emotions were raw -she was literally crying. Those moments piled up and to me, were almost as memorable as seeing the war memorials. We landed at the Baltimore airport right on schedule

When we deplaned, a local Honor Flight group was waiting, cheering, waving flags, clapping and welcoming the vets. They helped get us to our waiting bus. Southwest Airlines provided a big carton of snacks and at least 100 cold, cold water bottles! Box lunches were also awaiting us on the bus. Even though it was only about 10 a.m. Missouri time, everyone dug right in and ate delicious Arby’s gourmet sandwiches, chips and fruit cup. We began our 35 minute ride from Baltimore to DC, ate and watched a video on the process of planning and building the WWII Memorial.

The day was breathtakingly beautiful – blue, blue sky – Colorado blue! Slight breeze, semi hot sun. The bus took us past the Capitol, Washington Monument, and other impressive government sights. We arrived at the WWII Memorial about 11:30 Missouri time. Individuals in the group walked at their own pace all around the stunning memorial. We met at noon for a photo op* in front of the 4,000 gold star wall commemorating the more than 400,000 Americans who gave their lives in the war. Lo and behold, who appears but Bob Dole, who was instrumental in leading the effort to get this memorial built. Everyone in the group was very intrigued by his presence and we lingered a bit longer than planned with many photos taken in umpteen configurations of small groups. Also on hand was Senator Kit Bond’s military advisor, a Lt. Colonel in the army but in plain clothes for this gig (suit!). On the way out of the memorial, a mid-Missouri representative, Blaine Luktemeyer, was on hand to greet the vets. Back on the bus, we headed to the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam Wall and the Lincoln Monument. Only about half the group descended to see these while the rest of us took a tour across the Potomac River into Virginia. We saw the back side of the Jefferson Memorial and the new Air Force Memorial from afar –a two pronged silver “french fry” looking sculpture which really looks like the St. Louis Arch sprung apart. We then headed over to Arlington National Cemetery to take a tour ride around the grounds and watch the always impressive “Changing of the Guard”.

*A gentleman who wrote a book entitled The Jewel of the Mall is the official photographer for the memorial and he takes photos of groups visiting.
The Web site is http://srbphoto.zenfolio.com/p477781415 Dad and I and our new friend Bob are photo #8103 !!

The author/photographer is providing each vet with a copy of his book, in addition to allowing free printing of any photo he took of the group.

Time to head back to the Baltimore airport – snacks again on the bus – cheese crackers, pretzels, Famous Amos cookies, etc! Unbelievable traffic – Columbia looks like a Utopia in comparison. Unload bus, bathroom break, boarding pass distribution, security check (no shoe removal for the vets!), closer gate location. More help from the local Honor Flight group. The dinner that was planned at a local Country Buffet type place was nixed due to heavy traffic and lack of time. The organizers called the airport and got McDonald’s to box up Quarter Pounders, fries, soft drinks, etc. which were distributed to our group once boarding had taken place. The delay resulting from the food distribution probably contributed to Southwest Airlines taking a hit that day for late departure….not to mention the “jealousy” of the other passengers who were probably salivating over the Mickey D’s aroma. But once again, the tolerance and appreciation of the public was overwhelming. Dad and I sat in a row with a frequent traveler who shared her complimentary drink coupons with us (only Dad imbibed – I really must have been tired to turn down a free drink, don’t you know!) On the flight, the mail call took place. To me, this was one of the best parts of the whole trip. Little did I know the eloquence our family and friends possessed. Your letters had me in tears - one letter after another, not a dry eye over any of them. Well, wait, Julia’s niece Grace drew a beautiful picture of a flag with flowers surrounding it and that was a real smiler. Those letters are treasures which will remain with our family forever. Thank you for your participation in this day. (According to the gal who collected the letters, Dad got the MOST – 24! He was pretty proud of that!)

But wait, there was still more that made the day memorable. When we got on yet another, but FINAL bus of the day, one of the vets had purchased special commemorative tins depicting the Iwo Jima Memorial stuffed with chocolates. And the tour organizers had FRESH Hershey bars flown in from Hershey, PA, by a retired commercial airline pilot who was on the planning board for Honor Flight. Needless to say, Hershey bars were a big hit during wartime and also on the bus ride home. Only the vets received the chocolate, but Dad shared with me and I snarfed down my share. We saw the sun set from the bus.

When we were about 15 minutes outside of Columbia, a group of Patriot Riders (motorcycle guys and gals) and Missouri Highway Patrol cars provided a special escort down I-70. We arrived at our initial departure point approximately 20 hours later, greeted by a huge Columbia Fire Department hook and ladder truck with an enormous American flag whipping in a spotlight. About 50 people awaited the bus and cheered as each and every vet made their way down the steps….unreal experience.

As you can tell, this once in a lifetime experience will be etched in many peoples’ memories and hearts for years to come. I am so blessed to have shared this day with my dad. My eyes are still swollen from the many, many times the tears overcame me. There aren’t words enough to thank those who masterminded this trip and you who helped make it special, too!

God bless America!
Jan Mees and Ralph Conte
May 21, 2009

See also: Video interview with Ralph Conte Taped July, 2009 at Columbia, MO by Wayne Sayles. 'Forgotten day' still fresh for some June 6, 2008 Columbia Daily Tribune article By T.J. Greaney. (PDF Version) "Attack Bombers We Need You! A History of the 416th Bomb Group" By Ralph Conte. Ralph Conte, Veteran Photo and Document Collection Ralph Conte Post-War Obituary Page Honor Flight Network