Copperopolis WWII Vet to take Honor Flight to D.C. by, John Howsden

Shortly after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Mel Ogg kissed his girlfriend good-by, walked into the nearest Marine Corps recruiting office and said he wanted to fight for his country. After some no-nonsense training at boot camp he was put on a cargo ship headed for the South Pacific. The young farm boy was about to become a combat veteran the hard way—fighting.

The above sentence makes going to war sound easy and exciting.  But World War II was among one of the most heinous human crimes in history. Before it was over, 16 million Americans went off to war and of those, over 400,000 didn’t come back.

         Photo, Mel Ogg taking home a first place at the 2011 Copperopolis Homecoming Parade

Mel was one of the lucky ones. Returning home, he did his best to put the horrors of war behind him. He married his girlfriend, bought a house and raised a family. And so it went for sixty four years until his son-in-law, Al Gilbert – a Vietnam Veteran, spied an article in the newspaper in 2009 about an organization called Honor Flight flying veterans back to the newly dedicated WWII memorial in Washington D.C., all expenses paid. Without asking Mel’s permission, Al submitted an application on Mel’s behalf and then mentioned it to him in passing a few days later. Nothing happened. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months and months into years until Mel figured the organization had gone out of business.  Finally, Debbie Johnson, the co-founder of Honor Flight Northern California, called Mel and asked if he was still interested in going.

Mel, a feisty man with a keen sense of humor, told her he still wanted to go and thought, “It’s a great deal for vets who can’t afford to go on their own.” When asked if he had started packing he said, “I have two pairs of drawers, and I know where they both are.”

Honor Flight started several years ago and is supported by donations. From the moment the veteran arrives at the airport to the time they return, Honor Flight volunteers serve as guardians making sure the veterans are taken care of, providing them with food, boarding and transportation for the entire trip.

But age is taking its toll. At last count, World War II veterans are dying at the rate of 1,100 a day. At 89, Mel knows this is a once in a life time deal. Since Mel knows this is his only shot at getting back to Washington D.C., he is hoping to see some monuments that he has heard about since childhood, such as the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetery. He would also like to see the spot on the Potomac River where Washington threw a coin across the water. 

Mel leaves in September. His marching orders are simple: be at the San Francisco airport by 5:30 a.m. Bring with you five days supply of any medication you may be taking and wear comfortable walking shoes with rubber soles. The last time he took a free trip he ended up in a jungle hefting an M-1 rifle, mess kit and 200 rounds of ammunition. This time he is going to the Mall in Washington D.C. hefting a cell phone, digital camera and the blessings of a grateful nation.