In his honor

It’s been more than 50 years since Ernie Gierhart visited Washington D.C. His next trip Wednesday will mean much more than his previous pass through.
Gierhart, 86, is one of 70 veterans taking part in the Northeast Indiana Honor Flight — a one-day trip to the nation’s capital to see the memorials erected in their honor.
A lifelong resident of Portland, Gierhart served in both World War II and the Korean War, choosing to put a hold on his education to serve his country.
“When I got through my junior year of high school, I enlisted,” said Gierhart. “I was 18. My dad couldn’t stop me. He wanted me to finish high school. I told him I’d come back and go back.”
And that’s just what he did, but high school couldn’t hold him for long.
Enlisting in the U.S. Army in June of 1946, he served as a Private First Class in the Pacific during the liberation of Korea. He returned home around the Christmas holiday in 1948, keeping his promise and returning to school.
But by 1952, he was back in uniform as a corporal, deployed to Germany during the Korean War.
“I was in Korea during World War II. I didn’t go to Germany; I went the other way. Then the Korean War, I went to Germany,” joked Gierhart. “I enjoyed it. I didn’t mind it at all. It was something — I got to go to different countries.”
He returned to Portland for good in 1955.
He’s now being recognized for those years of service, and Bonnie Muhlenkamp, who nominated him for the trip and will be his guardian while in Washington, finds him to be most deserving.
“He’s easygoing, loves his animals, sweet as can be, never complains,” said Muhlenkamp, who works at Portland Veterinary Clinic. “I just thought he deserved to go see his memorial.”
Muhlenkamp only learned of the program in the past few years and was determined to be part of it.
The problem was she couldn’t think of the right person to take.
That is until Gierhart, wearing a hat with a veteran insignia, walked into the clinic with his two dogs. Gierhart, who had been a patron of the clinic for more than 15 years, wasn’t immediately sold on the idea, so Muhlenkamp told him to watch a program that would be aired about the Honor Flight organization.
“My phone was ringing off the hook at 8 a.m.,” said Muhlenkamp of the day after. “He was like, ‘Sign me up.’”
It will be the first trip of this kind for both of them, and Muhlenkamp has been trained on what to expect from the 24-hour rollercoaster.
Leaving Fort Wayne International Airport around 8:30 a.m., the duo — with more than 100 comrades — will visit the capital’s National World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial and Lincoln Memorial, along with several other sites. The flight back to Indiana should arrive in Fort Wayne around 9:30 p.m. to a crowd of family members and friends to welcome them home.
“They say it’s really something to see,” said Muhlenkamp of the crowds that bid them farewell and welcome them back.
Gierhart expects he’ll enjoy the trip, which will show him the memorials built in his and other veterans’ honor. Muhlenkamp suspects it may give him a bit more.
“Closure, I think. They’re honored that they can see something built in their memory. They deserve it,” said Muhlenkamp. “Every person is represented … it’s overwhelming.”