On Sunday, June 14, Jim Plattner and his sponsor Dwight Edelman traveled to Wichita to catch an early flight to Washington D.C. for a three-day, two-night, trip for the Kansas Honor Flight. On this trip, Jim and Dwight were joined by around 93 other Kansas veterans and their own sponsors.

The Kansas Honor Flight, according to its website, is an “all-volunteer organization that works to honor Kansas veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War by providing them with an ALL EXPENSE PAID JOURNEY of honor and remembrance to visit their memorials in Washington, D.C.”

Serving the Nation

Jim served for four years in the National Guard and gained the ranking of E-5 Staff Sergeant during his service. He fought in the Vietnam War for a little over nine months from 1968-69.

“We got called up during the [Lyndon B.] Johnson Administration and we had to go to Fort Carson, Colorado, our National Guard did,” Jim said. “And from there on, I got orders to go to Vietnam in ‘68 and ‘69. I was there nine months and some odd days in Vietnam, and I was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky. I was on a 155mm gun, and we were down in the A Shau Valley in the jungle, and shot over into Cambodia and Laos and the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

“We were on the Hamburger Hill incident in ‘68 and ‘69 where we shot many, many times around and we moved from landing zone to landing zone probably about every two or three days. We couldn’t stay on one mountaintop very long because the Viet Cong would come and get us.

“I did have some scars from [the battles]; I got some RPGs. I stood up but shouldn’t have and got some [wounds] on my stomach and on my arms. And I didn’t even know, I was in shock for a while until… It was shrapnel that got me, I didn’t know it for a while… Anyhow, but I made it, we got some backup…”

Honor Flight Activities

According to Jim, their flight landed at the BWI (Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport), which is near Washington D.C. During the three-day trip, approximately 147 people — including the veterans and their sponsors — visited Fort McHenry as well as multiple memorials – the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the World War II Memorial and the US Marine Corps War Memorial. The group also visited the Lincoln Memorial and witnessed the changing of the guards, among other things. Jim thought it was “very, very honorable.”

This trip was made successful for Jim due to organization funds and anonymous donors in Sabetha. Jim sends out his appreciation to all the people who allowed him to enjoy this Honor Flight mission.

“I enjoyed every bit of [the trip], it was a real pleasure to be there,” Jim said. “I thought it was all good. The meals were good, hospitality was excellent. It was an honor to be there because when I came back from Vietnam, it wasn’t an honor. They were not happy with us…”

When asked if he would recommend veterans attend an Honor Flight trip, he enthusiastically replied “yes, I would.”

“I definitely would want [other veterans] to go. I think that’d be a real tribute to them, plus our country,” Jim said. “I think that every veteran ought to take the time out to [go on an Honor Flight mission], and I know there’s some others around here in Sabetha that could go, or maybe they don’t want to go, I’m not sure, but anyhow, I would highly recommend going.

“It was a very enjoyable trip. I think it was well done, and Dwight Edelman was a perfect guardian. I mean, he helped some of the wheelchair patients, he helped get them on the plane, he helped get water on the busses… [Our group] did all the tours, the tours were excellent. I couldn’t get enough of them, to be honest.”

About Jim

Jim grew up in Sabetha and currently lives at the Apostolic Christian (AC) Home. In his free time, Jim drives the AC Home bus and helps folks get around town, especially to their appointments. Jim also enjoys keeping his living spaces and work vehicles tidy.

“I like to haul people for the Home, just drive people around for doctor appointments and that kind of stuff. I’ve been doing that for almost two years, it’s just something for me to do to get out of the apartment,” Jim said.

Jim has two children – a son and his spouse living in Colorado Springs and a daughter and her family living in Salina, which is where Jim’s late wife Marjorie grew up. Jim has three grandchildren and two step-granddaughters, and he is thankful in his current years.

“I’m just getting older by the days and still going, so I’m thankful.”

Jim Plattner is pictured waiting for his flight to Washington D.C. on Sunday, June 14, for the Kansas Honor Flight.

Dwight Edelman and Jim Plattner

This group of veterans visit the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial and take a picture in front of the Iwo Jima Monument during their Kansas Honor Flight trip, which took place from Monday, June 15, to Wednesday, June 17.

Jim Plattner, left, and his sponsor Dwight Edelman, right, take a picture in front of the Iwo Jima Monument during the Kansas Honor Flight trip, which took place from Monday, June 15, to Wednesday, June 17.