Menifee resident, Korean War veteran takes trip of a lifetime

Menifee resident and Korean War veteran Louie Wise visited the Korean War Memorial last weekend.

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Louie Wise took the trip of a lifetime last weekend, thanks to a program dedicated to honoring military veterans.

Wise, 91 and a Menifee resident, served 20 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and manned a machine gun in the Korean War. He was wounded by a mortar shell, receiving his Purple Heart award and a Bronze Star for bravery. He and millions like him are those to whom the war memorials in Washington D.C. are dedicated.

On Saturday, Wise got to tour those memorials with his son Kemp as part of the Honor Flight program for veterans.

The program flies veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam to the nation’s capital, where busses take large groups to tour the memorials, including those recognizing World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War along with other memorials. The veterans also get to witness the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. All of this is provided at no cost.

“My dad got a little bit emotional,” Kemp Wise said about Louie, who suffers from Alzheimer’s and uses a wheelchair. “It was the experience of a lifetime.”

Louie was the only veteran in the Honor Flight program on his Southwest flight to Baltimore, where he was scheduled to meet up with other veterans. As he was wheeled off the plane and into the airport terminal, he was greeted by cheers from those who had been told of his arrival and his military service.

“It was an amazing trip,” Kemp Wise said. “I’ve got to give them props. It’s a great program.”

Here’s a video that explains more about the Honor Flight program.

Louie and Kemp Wise pose for a photo in front of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial.