Local war veteran receives homecoming 63 years later

COSHOCTON – Jack Olinger does not remember receiving any special homecoming when he returned home to Coshocton from serving in the Korean War in 1952.

But on April 18, when Olinger joined an Honor Flight of veterans to Washington, D.C., crowds in the capital, Baltimore and Columbus cheered them on, saluted them, shook their hands and honored them with patriotic music.

That celebration was "63 years in the making," said Olinger's son, Jerry, principal of River View Junior High, who accompanied his father on the trip.

"That's what that day was about, an opportunity for thank-yous and to show your respect for what they did," Jerry Olinger said.

Now 83, Jack Olinger was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1951 before serving as a radio operator in Korea through 1952. He achieved the rank of staff sergeant, serving in the 143rd Field Artillery.

"I didn't want to go, but it's something I've never regretted," he said.

His service stuck with him, stirring emotions.

"You never lose that feeling that you had when they play the 'Star-Spangled Banner,' " he said.

Back home in Coshocton, Jack Olinger farmed 243 acres, raising corn, wheat, hay, beef cattle, hogs and sheep. He had gotten married between basic training and shipping out to Korea but later divorced. He served as a Jackson Township trustee for 24 years and drove a bus for the River View School District for 21 years.

Jerry graduated from that same district and later returned to work there.

It was Jerry who read in The Tribune about the Honor Flight to D.C., which provides free trips to veterans to visit their memorials. He asked his father whether he wanted to go on a trip.

"He said, 'Yeah," and I said, 'We're going to go to Washington, D.C.,' " Jerry said.

Jerry didn't know then that his dad's old service buddy, Clark Todd, of New Philadelphia, had called a few days earlier, asking Jack whether he planned to take the free trip.

"I didn't feel I was able to go," Jack said. "I have Parkinson's disease. I knew I couldn't walk. That's where Jerry came in and said he would go as my Guardian."

While private donations fund veterans' trips, Guardians pay their own way, $300 for the day.

The day was long and hectic. Jerry said 81 veterans and about 55 Guardians left Port Columbus International Airport at 7 a.m. and returned that night about 9:30 p.m.

"We were moving all the time. We didn't have time for a sit-down (meal)," Jerry said. " When we hit Washington, we never stopped for a red light. Everybody in Washington yielded to these veterans."

A police motorcycle escort led the way for three charter buses, stopping first for the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery. The group continued with stops to the Korean War, Vietnam War, Marine and Air Force memorials.

For Jack, the trip's highlights were the visit to the Korean War Veterans Memorial and surprise visits from family members.

The Korean War Veterans Memorial features 7-foot-tall sculptures of 19 soldiers reflected in a marble wall to represent the 38th Parallel, which defined North and South Korea at the end of the war.

At the World War II Memorial, Jack met and spoke with former senator and Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, who took the time to talk with many of the veterans there.

But the day's biggest surprises involved well-wishers and family members. Annapolis cadets welcomed the veterans to Baltimore on the way to D.C.

Jerry's sister, Jan, who lives in Kentucky, learned of the trip and flew to Baltimore, where her daughter Ashley lives. They surprised Jack by joining him at the World War II Memorial that Saturday. That night, about two dozen family members welcomed them back home at Port Columbus, along with a crowd of other cheering supporters.

"All the veterans turned a corner and there were probably 1,000 people there," Jerry said. "It was a homecoming."

Whereas Jack said he liked all aspects of the trip and would recommend it to qualifying veterans, his son was more effusive: "It's an absolutely wonderful experience for the veterans and the guardians."

jwilliams6@coshoctontribune.com

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