Jim and Art Onken are pictured here during the Honor Flight to the National World War II Monument in Washington D.C. With them at right is Robert Onken.

Onken brothers share stories of Honor Flight, World War II service

by Michelle Haacke Press-News Reporter

Sitting around the kitchen table, dressed in their red Honor Flight t-shirts, brothers Art and James Onken of Osage shared their once-in-a-lifetime experience as part of the September 26th Honor Flight Program to Washington D.C.

"There were so many people everywhere," James exclaimed softly, shaking his head as he grinned from ear to ear.

Art nodded in agreement and said, "It was a really nice flight. Outside of the rain, it was a wonderful trip. Everything went so smoothly and we had a wonderful bus driver who got us around."

"It was a complete tour in 11 hours and under," added James' son, Robert Onken, who went on the flight as a guardian for his father and uncle. "We had two hours at the World War II Monument, and we didn't get one drop of rain until we got through that. Then it rained the rest of the time. It poured on us at the Vietnam Memorial," Robert explained.

The three, all military veterans from two different war eras, sifted through the pictures they took during their day-long journey. A photo of James and Art in front of the World War II monument, their first stop of the day, was followed by photos of a variety of the other places they visited, which included the Lincoln, Korean and Vietnam Monuments. A city tour by bus drove them to the Washington Monument, Capital Building, and past the White House en route to Arlington National Cemetery, where they were impressed with the changing of the guards.

Stories about the weekend flight turned into tales about their World War II tours of duty, as they flipped from the weekend's pictures to photos of yesteryears.

"Did you ever see the Royal Hawaiian Hotel?" Art, who was stationed in Hawaii during World War II asked Robert, who also spent time in Hawaii in the Army 25th Infantry during the Vietnam Era. As he handed over the neatly-preserved black and white photo dating back to the 1940's, Robert studied the picture, nodded, and the two swapped stories about their time at the same location during two different eras.

Art, who joined the U.S. Navy in 1942, explained how he ended up visiting the resort-which is now considered one of the flagship hotels in Hawaii's tourism industry. "I was in the Naval Reserve. First, I went to boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois with a big bunch-everyone from around here at that time," he said, adding that he also attended electrical school while he was at Great Lakes. He was then sent to a submarine base in Pearl Harbor, where he lived in a barracks in Honolulu, repairing submarine batteries.

"When the war started, the government took over the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki Beach," Art continued, explaining that during the war, the hotel was closed to the public and submarine sailors would go there to get some much needed rest and relaxation before returning to the high seas. "The sailors would eat, sleep, swim and get all the sun they could before returning to their duty. They would lay around the beach, resting and relaxing."

James, a rifleman in the Army during World War II, shook his head and grinned at the thought. "I went west for my tour and trekked across the Philippines. All I saw was trees-trees everywhere," he exclaimed.

James left Osage for Fort Snelling, Minnesota for final induction into the Army in October 1944. He completed boot camp at Fort Hood, located just outside of Killeen, Texas, before his deployment to the Philippine Islands. In October 1945, Pfc. James Onken was declared "Serviceman of the Day" on radio station WMT at Waterloo, which stated, "His Company L completed a dangerous mission. For the mission, they stepped in the footprints of the man ahead of them to miss the mines."

The following month, James was discharged and returned home to Osage.

Art was discharged that same year, returning to the mainland and finishing his military career in the same place he started--Great Lakes, Illinois. "I served for 3 years, 1 month, and 21 days altogether," Art said proudly. "After I was discharged, I thought I'd enjoy living in Chicago, but after a month there, I didn't like it one bit, so I came back here."

Upon his return to Osage, Art said he was surprised at all of the military activity within his own family while he had been away. "I was gone and didn't even know that my brothers James, George and Walt had all joined the military and that we were all serving at the same time. I didn't know who went in or who came out until I returned," he explained.

The brothers both settled down in the Osage area, where they continue to reside now with several members of their immediate and extended family close-by, many of those with military experience, as well. "Our oldest brother George came back after the war and went back into the National Guard where he retired after 27 years. Frank also served in World War II, Keith served during the Korean and Vietnam eras, and Dorothy served a full tour with time in France," Art explained. "Two of our nephews were full-time military for 20 years, George Junior in the Naval Reserves and his brother Lester in the Marines."

Returning to the photos of the weekend's events, the brothers agreed the Honor Flight was truly a once in a lifetime experience. "We were so thankful to be able to go on the trip," Art said. "I really wish we could've stayed overnight and taken more time to see everything, but I'd never been out East before and it was just a wonderful experience."