LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Two World War II veterans were honored Friday with a quick roundtrip flight from Bowman Field to Radcliff.
Navy veteran John "Jack" Mooney said he served in the final 18 months of WWII as a gunner's mate on a destroyer in the Pacific.
"I wouldn’t want to do it again, but given the same circumstances, I would," he said Friday. "It was a great adventure for an 18-year-old who had never been away from home.”
The Louisville native now lives in Indiana but made the drive to Bowman Field to be one of two local veterans honored with this flight, made possible through Honor Flight Bluegrass.
“This is not a what you call an 'honor flight,' but it is a flight to honor veterans," board chairman Jeff Thoke said.
Thoke said the plane used Friday was a Navy WWII Avenger.
WWII veteran John Mooney
“It’s what they called torpedo bomber," he said. "It’s a larger, single-engine plane."
Mooney said he's seen these planes before but never taken a flight in one.
“They used to scare the devil out of me because when they left the flight deck, they looked like they were going straight into the water," Mooney said. "But they always climbed out. It’s quite a plane. I never thought I’d get a chance to get a ride in one though.”
His fellow passenger for the hour-long voyage was Army veteran Howard Griffin, from La Grange. Griffin said his service spans decades, from 1943-70. Griffin served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
“I’ve seen what people have gone through and their families in the big war, WWII," he said. "I don’t think people should forget anything, to keep it in the minds of the people. Too many people forget."
Howard Griffin, veteran of WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War
Both Griffin and Mooney, now 94 years young, were excited for Friday's opportunity to take the flight.
Thoke said the country's WWII population is dwindling, and flights like these are a way to honor veterans' service.
“We owe so much to our veterans," he said.
The trip Friday took about one hour from take-off to landing. Generations of friends and family waited for Griffin and Mooney to return. Upon landing, both men said the flight was wonderful. Mooney said his favorite part was seeing the Bradford Pear trees in bloom.
"It couldn't have been better," he said. "It was just really a smooth flight."
The aircraft used for the flight is expected to be part of this year's Thunder Over Louisville air show on April 17.
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