by Kevin Cummings, Messenger Staff Writer
Jimmy Johnson’s honor flight looked like it would never happen.
The Honor Flight Network is a national program that offers free trips to Washington D.C., for veterans who served during the time of WWII, Vietnam and the Korean War. Johnson, who was born and raised in Sewanee, served from 1952 to 1956 in the Air Force.
The 81-year-old was set for his honor flight in spring 2015, but wasn’t feeling well enough to go. In September, the plane again had a seat for him, but a week before takeoff, Johnson underwent major surgery and spent the next few months in hospitals in Winchester and Nashville before a lengthy rehabilitation.
He wasn’t sure he’d ever get to take that flight, but on April 28, his third attempt, Johnson and a nurse left his home in Cowan at 2 a.m. to catch a bus. Dozens of motorcyclists accompanied the bus from Winchester to Tullahoma, where they picked up more veterans. Other veterans boarded in Manchester and Nashville, bringing the total to 51 service members.
Throngs of people cheered the veterans as they made their way through Nashville International Airport, shaking their hands and thanking them for their service.
“It just put chills through you. It was something to have them do that,” Johnson said.
Then the Boeing 737 was delayed with mechanical problems. Almost an hour later, on a different plane, Johnson and his fellow veterans left for Baltimore. From there it was a bus to D.C., where they visited sites such as the WWII Memorial, Vietnam and Korean War memorials and witnessed the Changing of the Guard at Arlington National Cemetery. Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, a WWII veteran, also visited with the group.
People cheered the vets again when they left the Baltimore airport and when they returned to Nashville. At a quarter past midnight, less than 24 hours after he left, Johnson was back home in Cowan.
Sgt. Major Larry E. Williams, a retired Army veteran who lives in Monteagle, co-founded the Honor Flight of Middle Tennessee hub in 2008. Williams, the Middle Tennessee scheduling coordinator, said veterans love the experience.
“There’s not been one complaint, ever,” he said.
He noted that one WWII veteran died three months after his flight and was buried in his honor flight polo shirt and ball cap.
During his Air Force service, Johnson, who worked in supplies, was stationed at Kirkland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M., for three years. His final year at Ladd Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska, he worked with airplane parts and field maintenance supplies.
“I didn’t have bad habits while I was in (the service),” he said. “A lot of times you learn to drink, cuss and smoke. I really didn’t get any bad habits while I was in there; that’s one good thing.”
He said he mostly enjoyed his time in the Air Force, recalling a day in Alaska where it was 57 degrees below zero and a baseball game in Fairbanks that started at 10 o’clock at night with no lights.
Johnson lived in Sewanee off Sherwood Road until his surgery in September, on the 25-acre home place that his dad bought after WWII. Five of his siblings live on the land now, including his oldest sister, Ruby, who’s 91. Altogether Johnson had eight siblings, and his five brothers also served in the military.
About two months ago, after all his rehab, he finally felt well enough to get out of the house that he shares with his granddaughter. He spends many days at the Franklin County Senior Citizens Center, having lunch and playing pool and bingo.
Johnson has two sons and two daughters. He worked for 40 years in water treatment plants, including the University of the South and the City of Cowan, before retiring from the water treatment plant at Arnold Air Force Base in 2000.
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