Iwo Jima veteran dies before trip

Antipodean Andy · Oct 13, 2008

JS Online: Veteran dies before he can take free charter to WWII memorial

In June 1943, in the midst of World War II, 17-year-old Bob Smasal jumped at the chance to join the fray.

He dropped out of high school and, accompanied by his parents, made the trip to a Milwaukee recruiting station and joined the U.S. Marine Corps. A year and a half later, Smasal stood on the black volcanic battleground of Iwo Jima and watched the famed raising of the Stars and Stripes atop Mount Suribachi.

When Smasal, 82, heard this past August about the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight program out of Port Washington - it offers free charters to World War II veterans to visit their memorial in Washington, D.C. - he jumped at that chance, too, and was the first veteran to apply to make the trip.

"Oh my goodness yes," his wife, Ruth, said. "He heard about it while he was playing cards with the guys at the Legion. He said, 'I sure would like to do this.' We got the application, and he insisted I make it out right away for him. He couldn't because he had macular degeneration and couldn't see."

But only Smasal's flag will make the trip. On Sept. 8, just a few weeks after applying for the trip, Smasal was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died on Sept. 27, two days after being notified that he was cleared to make the journey to the memorial.

Smasal's death "underlines our sense of urgency," said Joe Dean, an Ozaukee County supervisor who jumpstarted the local Honor Flight program in Port Washington, along with Ozaukee County Veterans Affairs Officer Ken Brown.

With an average of about 1,000 World War II veterans dying every day, organizers of the nationwide program want to give as many as possible a chance to make the one-day trip to Washington, D.C., as soon as possible.

Honor Flight Network is a national program that was started in 2004 in Ohio to provide free passage to veterans to visit the World War II Memorial.

According to the network's Web site, there are 52 "hubs" in 26 states. The organization hopes to transport 12,000 veterans this year.

Honor Flights are one-day trips, flying veterans in the morning to Washington and flying them back that night.

The Port Washington hub is the second in Wisconsin - the first is based in La Crosse. A group of 187, including veterans and "guardians" who pay $500 to go along and assist the veterans, made the flight from La Crosse to the capital on Wednesday. .

Dean went on that flight as a guardian, carrying the flag from the funeral of his father, David Dean, who served as a Navy corpsman in World War II and died last year.

"It was an incredible experience," Dean said.

The Port Washington group will make its first flight Nov. 19, carrying 113 people, including about 80 veterans, having raised the $94,000 it needs.

Meanwhile, 220 other veterans have signed up, too, and organizers are stepping up their fundraising efforts to fly as many of those vets to Washington next year as possible, Dean said.

"We have enough veterans to do five flights next year. Our only impediment is a lack of funds," he said.

Dean said donations have been procured from the Cedarburg Community Foundation, the We Energies Foundation and Metavante.

Veterans from within 120 miles of Port Washington are eligible to apply to make the flight. Veterans from Ozaukee County are given preference.

The U.S. flag that was presented to Ruth Smasal at her husband's graveside ceremony will be taken Nov. 19 to Washington and be included in a flag ceremony at the memorial, Dean said. A small marker with Smasal's name also will be attached to the memorial.

Dean said Honor Flight organizers offered to let one of Smasal's six children make the trip, but the family turned the offer down.

"We said no," said Jim Smasal, Bob's son. "We didn't want to prevent another veteran from being able to go."

Bob Smasal had been to Washington before but never saw the memorial.

"He wanted to go again not just to see the memorial, but to be with people who had been in the same predicament," Jim Smasal said. "One of the last things he told me was, 'I really want to do that.' "
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liverpool annie · Oct 13, 2008

Antipodean Andy said: ↑

JS Online: Veteran dies before he can take free charter to WWII memorial
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Bob's going to be able to see the memorial before the rest of the party !!

RIP Bob

My Dad (right front), Bob Smasal and some of his buddies. pictures from family photos on webshots

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