World War II Veteran Takes Last Tour of Duty

Though Bill Friedman of Eastchester served in the army almost 75 years ago, he still has vivid memories of World War II and his service in Europe. Now nearing his 92nd birthday Friedman belongs to the quickly vanishing "Greatest Generation" who fought in the second world war. In order to salute his service, on November 7, 2015, Scarsdale's Ken Friedman and his dad took a very special trip to Washington, accompanied by 150-200 other area veterans. The trip was sponsored by an organization called Hudson Valley Honor Flight who sends veterans of World War II, Vietnam and the Korean War to Washington for a day of touring and remembrance.

According to Ken, Bill was drafted into the WW II Army when he graduated from high school in Mt. Vernon in 1941. He was sent to Fort Sam Houston for basic training where he contracted spinal meningitis. He fell into a coma and was so sick that the doctors did not expect him to survive. But he beat the odds and after a protracted recovery he was well enough to join the war effort and was shipped to Normandy in June 1944. It was just two or three days after D-Day, before General Patton had broken through the German lines. Bill fought his way through France and was scheduled to be sent to the Pacific after the Germans were defeated. But when the atom bombs were dropped and Japan surrendered, he was able to return home instead of being shipped off to the Pacific. That's why Harry Truman is Bill's favorite president.

After returning home to Mt. Vernon, Bill attended college at NYU where he studied accounting on the GI Bill. He married and started a family and then moved to Eastchester when Ken was in second grade.

This year, Bill learned about the upcoming Honor Flight from friends at The Old Guard, a Men's Club he participates in based in White Plains and asked Ken to accompany him as his guardian.

They carefully planned the day and were told to be at Westchester Community College by 6:30 am. The organization even sent a volunteer to drive them from their homes to the Gateway Center at WCC where they had breakfast and boarded buses to White Plains Airport. At the airport they assembled for a send-off ceremony in a hanger before getting on a charter flight to Reagan Airport in Washington DC.

Once they landed they boarded buses and headed for Arlington National Cemetary for the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The next stop was the WWII Memorial where they took group photos and were met by Senator Bob Dole who often greets veterans there. From there they went onto the Iwo Jima Memorial followed by a group dinner and the flight home.

A final highlight of the trip was the "mail call" on the plane home. The veterans thought the long day of activities had come to an end and were surprised by this one last twist. Unbeknownst to the veterans, their guardians had been tasked with collecting letters of thanks and congratulations to them and their families. Additional letters came from school children who were not known by the veterans. When the veterans opened their letters, they provided a poignant ending to a very emotional day.

Commenting on the trip, Ken said, "The trip was amazingly well planned and executed with military precision. It was a long day, and a great bonding and emotional experience to share with my father. The public support for the troops/veterans was phenomenal and incredibly heartwarming. A bonus was that my son Richard, who lives in DC, joined us at the World War II Memorial. My father was overwhelmed by the day's events, and I was incredibly moved. It was a wonderful day for him and one that I will always remember and cherish. I am grateful that my father asked me to accompany him on the trip. While the five of us wrote letters of support and congratulations to my father, it was also gratifying to see our boys express their heartfelt feelings for their grandfather. Of course I could not have kept track of the dozens of calls made and letters, emails and notes received without Kate's (his wife) spreadsheet skills."