Washington County, WI – Army veteran Donald Pape of West Bend will be one of eight veterans taking off Saturday, November 6, 2021, on the Stars & Stripes Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. Pape will be joined by his son, Damon, who is from Kingsman, Arizona.
Pape went into the United States Army at the age of 22 and spent three years as a 76D20, ordnance supply and parts specialist. “In less than six months after enlisting, I was in Vietnam, and I was assigned to computer operation parts supply. I was one of a crew that worked two trailer computer systems to do parts replenishment,” said Pape.
Upon return from his deployment to Vietnam, Pape was assigned to “No Questions Asked,” which was a military program that offered soldiers the opportunity to turn in inappropriately acquired gear and other materials, without fear of repercussion.
When Pape was stationed in Fort Lee, VA, he would head over to the D.C. area with buddies to “escape military life.” The Honor Flight is his first trip to view the monuments and take in the sites of the area.
Pape and his wife, Gerry, both originally from Fond du lac, WI, have been married for 51 years. They casually met in a local bar where “Gerry needed a ride home,” said Pape.
The plot thickens as Pape comes forward with a unique engagement story. “I was stationed in Fort Bragg, NC, when we got engaged. I came home and asked her to marry me. Before I could even get her a ring I had to return to base, so her mother picked up the ring and gave it to her.”
Following his term of service, Pape continued in the parts supply field. “I’ve been in auto department parts personnel all of my life,” Pape said. “I retired 10 years ago down in Arizona.”
Pape and his wife have one daughter and two sons, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Other veterans from Washington County on the Saturday, November 6, 2021 flight include:
Army Veteran Thomas Buschke of Hartford
Air Force Veteran Michael Darvin of Hartford
Coast Guard Veteran Kenneth Weddig of Kewaskum
Army Veteran Glenn Bogenschneider of Slinger
Air Force Veteran Michael Carney of Slinger
Air Force Veteran Thomas Albinger of West Bend
Army Veteran Charles McCormick of West Bend
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 one day, all-expenses-paid trips to Washington D.C.
