Honor Flight showers local couple with gratitude

SANDPOINT — The 747 sat thrumming on the runway. Buckled up and waiting inside were 95 members of what Tom Brokaw has called The Greatest Generation.

This plane had been specially chartered to carry them to their nation’s capitol, not only to visit memorials that pay homage to branches of the military in which they served, but also to carry the passengers on a pilgrimage to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Along the way, these veterans of that war would receive waves of belated, but no less heartfelt, thanks for service, which, in most cases, took place more than 70 years ago.

Sandpoint residents Carol Karr and George Hirschkamp were on the trip — participants in a national program known as Honor Flight. And though the journey amounted to a whirlwind, overnight visit, it somehow managed to pack a lifetime's worth of memories into that short amount of time.

The close friends, both residents of Luther Park, started racking up the memories before they had packed their suitcases, as the outpouring of gratitude and support from members of the Sandpoint High School Honor Flight Club made it possible for them to join the veterans' group.

“A lot of those people on the flight probably thought, ‘I'll never get to Washington’ — I never thought I would,” said Karr. “But John Nitcy and his group are really out there working, raising money for this.”

The group, which was launched in February, is involved in what SHS teacher and Honor Flight Club advisor Nitcy has called “a race against time.” Underscoring his point is a statistic that shows approximately 1,100 World War II veterans die each day.

On May 16-17, nearly 100 of these vets turned back time on two days that embraced them with perfect weather and, from the moment they left home, swept them up like VIPs.

“It was a direct flight from Spokane to Dulles and then we were met by super buses that took us directly to Arlington Cemetery,” Hirschkamp said. “The most unusual thing was that we had a police escort for the buses.”

“The sirens were going, everything,” Karr added.

“And we drove right through all the red lights,” Hirschkamp said.

Different parts of the trip affected the two travelers in very personal ways. For Hirschkamp, the first stop on the packed itinerary touched him deeply.

“I was very much moved by the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” he said. “It's a grand, honorable ritual.”

“The World War II Memorial was what impressed me the most,” Karr said. “The stars - the gold stars on the memorial — each represent 100 kids who got killed. And there are a lot of those stars.

“It was a nice day and there were a lot of people there,” she continued. “They just kept coming up to shake our hands and say, 'Thank you.' If you sat down to rest, they'd line up to shake your hand while you sat there.”

Sharing a common theme expressed by other veterans who have taken the Honor Flight, both Karr and Hirschkamp were surprised and quite pleased by the response they met at literally every turn. From airport terminals to hotel lobbies to the various memorials, a grateful public reached out to take the hands of these visiting dignitaries.

“We were enthused by the reception we got, especially from the kids,” Hirschkamp said. “We must have shook a million hands.”

The majority of the veterans on the flight were well into their 80s and many required wheelchairs to get around the stops in D.C. Karr and Hirschkamp were among the ambulatory members of the group, as well as part of the upper end of the age range — he turns 93 in about a week; she will turn 90 in a few months. Both of them defy the usual expectations of their nonagenarian status, perhaps because of their positive outlook on life, good genes, or a combination of the two.

Then again, it could be the salubrious effect of young love. When George moved into Luther Park a few years ago, the two just sort of gravitated to one another. According to Carol, it was his card-playing prowess that sparked the initial attraction.

“That's why she picked me up,” Hirschkamp said with a wink.

“I was looking for a bridge partner, not a man,” said Karr.

Whatever the reason for the pairing, where you find one you'll usually find the other — even though they have separate rooms and different last names.

“We like to keep people guessing,” Hirschkamp explained.

To spend part of a morning with these two is to be immersed in a back-and-forth, perpetual bout of friendly banter about their relative ages, their military history and, indeed, the nature of life itself. Hirschkamp leaned forward to share what he said was a disappointing part of the D.C. trip — the moment when Karr refused to ride in the outside elevator that clung to the side of their hotel.

“I don't like heights,” she said.

“For a Navy veteran like her to have that kind of fear factor?” he questioned, shaking his head in mock disgust. “I was a little bit ashamed for her.”

Giving as good as she gets, Karr recounted the contrast between “her” U.S. Navy Memorial and “his” U.S. Marine Corps Memorial.

“The Navy had indoor plumbing and nice tile floors,” she said. “The Marines? Well, they're supposed to be rough and tough. All they had was Port-a-Potties.”

One thing these two share - along with a fondness for bridge and each other — is the uniqueness of the stories behind their respective military service. Stationed at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla., as a member of the U.S. Navy women's reserve known as the WAVEs, Karr was at first too young to request deployment overseas. By the time she could have done so, World War II had ended.

“George calls me the only sailor who never set foot on a ship,” she said.

Hirschkamp’s war story began when the young Marine was transferred from San Francisco to Peking in 1939 to work as a radio operator for the U.S. Embassy — part of a small, 130-man support unit stationed there before the war.

“We were living like kings for 18 months, until the war started,” he said. “In 1941, we were all taken prisoner on the first day of the war. They held us prisoner for 1,376 days.”

In what turned out to be a potentially life-saving twist of fate, the Marines stationed in Peking barely missed the boat that would have evacuated them to the Philippines in advance of the Japanese invasion of China. Standing at the port with their gear at the ready, the soldiers must have thought being left behind was the worst thing that could have happened. Had they made that boat, many of them would later have perished as part of the Bataan Death March in May of 1942.

“I'd have never met you — that's the worst part,” Hirschkamp said to the woman seated beside him. Karr smiled as she placed her hand on his arm.

“We were fated, George,” she said.

Turning attention back to the Honor Flight, Karr and Hirschkamp expressed thanks to Paula Marano of Coeur d'Alene, who accompanied and watched over them on the journey as part of the 50-person contingent of “guardians” who each paid their own way to help take care of the traveling veterans.

The two had special thanks for the 12 members of the SHS Honor Flight Club, who created a banner that was displayed at Luther Park to honor the WAVE and the Marine before they made the trip. It was the surprise they had in store upon their return, however, that really made an impression.

“When you're in the service, you don't think you're doing anything outstanding — it was a job,” Karr said.

“But those kids from the club,” she went on, pausing momentarily before continuing. “They all came down to greet us at the airport when we came back.”

Members of the club include: Mia Schroeder, president; Madie Slaton, vice president; Kelsey Kittleson; Maria Henderson; Violet Plummer; Emma Weisz; Logan Finney; Alison Calvert; Marissa Montgomery; Makena Presnell; Sadie Nitcy; and Josh Wallis.

Those interested in learning more about the SHS Honor Flight Club can contact John Nitcy at john.nitcy@lposd.org or 263-7958.