By Julie Rossman
Correspondent
Rodney Overson recently had the honor of boarding the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight to Washington D.C. to visit the WWII and other memorials. The June 2 trip was a day that Overson, of Union Grove, says he will never forget.
“It was just special … a once in a lifetime deal,” Overson said reflecting on the day.
The Stars and Stripes Honor Flight Organization, made up of volunteers, young and old, provides all-expense paid, one-day trips for World War II Veterans to visit Washington D.C. Each veteran is assigned a guardian, or chaperone, who must pay their own costs for the trip.
Overson was glad his son, Ronald, of Pewaukee, could make the trip as his chaperone. “It was great to go with my son,” Overson said.
As an added bonus, he was able to meet up with his daughter and her family, who live in Washington D.C., at the WWII memorial.
The day included visits to the WWII, the Iwo Jima, the Korean War and the Lincoln Memorials. In addition, they saw the Washington Monument, the White House and the Pentagon while on a bus tour. The final stop of the day was at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Overson had nothing but praise for the Honor Flight organization. “It was so well organized – everything fell right into place,” he said.
“When we left the Milwaukee airport at 4:30 in the morning, there was a men’s choral group there (singing for us), can you believe that?” Overson said.
Then, when they returned to the airport after a very long day, there were an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 people there to greet the veterans and give them a very enthusiastic welcome home.
“I can’t put it into words,” Overson said. “It was just unbelievable, incredible – I didn’t know anybody!”
TIME IN THE MERCHANT MARINE
Overson enlisted in 1944 in the U.S. Maritime Service, which evolved into the Merchant Marine. He started as a cook and eventually became Seamen Second Class, where his duties included steering and maintaining the big ships that supplied the smaller ships. He also later trained to occasionally run the guns on the ships.
“I crossed the Atlantic 51 times,” he said.
Each of the these big ships had a carrying capacity of 10,000 ton and carried munition, armament and other supplies across the ocean. The ships would load up from East Coast ports like New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia and would cross the ocean in convoys to places all over the world.
He left for his first trip on Thanksgiving Day 1944, from Sheepshead Bay, N.Y. and got to Italy on Christmas Day. He was 17-1/2 years old.
“All my buddies were in the Marine Corps, the Navy, Air Force – you know how it is when you’re young – I was gung-ho,” he said of his enlistment.
The trips also landed him in France, Belgium, North and South Africa, The Suez Canal and Calcutta, India.
On one return trip from overseas, Overson recalls a very unique piece of cargo. “We brought back Hitler’s personal railroad dining car,” he said. To this day, he doesn’t know what happened to it. “It’s probably in some museum, somewhere,” he said.
SHIPS IN DANGER
Overson felt there has often been a misconception that if someone served in the Merchant Marine, their duty was not difficult. “You were just a ‘wuss,’ ” he said.
But he says that perception is much different from reality.
Both the public and the members of the Merchant Marine were kept in the dark about sunken ships and casualties.
“Our convoys were always in danger of being torpedoed,” Overson said. “We saw ships burning, but they kept us totally in the dark – there were no radios, no cameras,” he said.
Overson said he came closest to danger when their ship was docked in Italy, close to a U.S. Hospital ship. He and the crew brought wounded soldiers to the hospital ship in a truck – four at a time.
“We carried the wounded on a carrier up the gangway to the ship – one after another. That was hard. We did that one Sunday … all day,” Overson recalled.
Years after he was discharged, he found out just how many Merchant Marines died in the war. “Phew!” he said, wiping his brow. In addition, he said many Merchant Marines were taken prisoner overseas.
According to a Merchant Marine publication, The Pointer, “One in 26 Marines serving on merchant ships in WWII died. The papers would report two ships sunk in the Atlantic – in reality, the average for 1942 was 33 Allied ships sunk each week.”
BACK HOME
Overson was discharged in spring of 1947 and quietly returned home. While he served overseas, his folks had moved from Union Grove to Woodruff, Wis. He went there for a bit, but soon returned to Union Grove.
Overson worked for a roofing company and the Case Company each for a couple of years. He then sold plumbing and heating, worked at the Union Grove Lumber Company and eventually managed Franksville Lumber Company.
He retired about 20 years ago from the real estate business. He co-owned Hansen Overson Realty in Union Grove for a number of years.
Overson is glad he was able to take the Honor Flight trip to Washington D.C. “It was a memorable experience,” he said.
The trip’s theme, “Every day is a bonus” is based on a quote from a WWII Prisoner Of War, Joe Demier, who survived a Nazi prison camp.
“Yes, every day is a bonus,” Overson said. “When you get to be 85, I guess that’s right.”
-
-
-
-
-