Washington County, WI – On Saturday, April 22, 2023, 76-year-old Navy veteran Mike Chesak of West Bend, WI, will be joining other vets on the Stars & Stripes Honor Flight along with an appointed chaperone.
Chesak enlisted in the US Navy in October of 1964 after working at a factory and getting laid off. He chose this branch of service because of his brother-in-law’s influence, having served in the Navy himself, and for the guarantee of receiving an education in electronics.
Boot camp for Chesak was in San Diego where he was a squad leader.
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Chesak went to Tennessee for aviation electronics technician school and received orders to go to the east coast. This got canceled due to the impending war with Vietnam. Instead, Chesak went on his first airplane ride to his new duty station in Whidbey Island, Washington.
“I was on a nuclear bomb loading team for a short time until they changed the planes to tankers. They weren’t the largest planes that landed on aircraft carriers; ours were 850 feet,” said Chesak.
“Vietnam kicked in,” said Chesak. “A lot of the guys I was stationed with went overseas for two tours. I flew off the coast of Vietnam at a beach detachment in the Philippines at Cubi Point which is no longer open.”
Chesak attained the rank of E4/3rd Class Petty Officer while in the Navy. He spent a total of four years in the Navy and was honorably discharged in October of 1968.
Chesak has been married to his wife, Karen, for 52 years and they have two adult children, Amy and Luke, and two granddaughters, Hayden and Palmer.
Chesak is one of eight veterans from Washington County, WI
on the April 22, Honor Flight
Upon discharge from service, Chesak went back to the factory that had laid him off prior to his enlistment, then moved on to work as a maintenance mechanic. “Then a neighbor asked me if I’d like to learn how to hang drywall,” Chesak said, “I did that for 45 years. I had my own business and was self-employed for 35 years. It was interesting, and I never punched a clock.”
Chesak’s Honor Flight chaperone will be his daughter, Amy, who lives in Franklin, TN. “At first, I thought others deserved [the Honor Flight experience] more. Then I thought I’d better do it because I get around pretty good yet. I work out at the Y a lot. Now my daughter is all excited.”
“I’ve seen the traveling Vietnam Wall in Wisconsin a couple of times and have looked up a couple of guys in my squadron and a couple of guys I went to high school with,” said Chesak, “I’d like to see the original Vietnam wall and Arlington cemetery.”
About his time in the service, Chesak said, “It was a good time, a different time. Some of the guys were not treated well when they came back. I didn’t experience that.
“I would never have seen Hawaii for NY Eve, Japan, Okinawa, Guam, or the Philippines. I met some interesting people and remember a lot of guys’ names.”
“I hope everyone has a good time and we have good weather. It will be a long day.”
Stars and Stripes Honor Flight is the Milwaukee area hub of the Honor Flight Network. Founded in 2008, Stars and Stripes Honor Flight has flown more than 7,600 WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans from southeastern Wisconsin on a one-day, all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C.
