TIPLING, Beverly
TIPLING
Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 6/20/2014 at 23:17:53
Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, June 05, 2014Local woman's 'Honor Flight' brings closure to military service
When Beverly Tipling, 78, of Mount Ayr entered the Air Force at the age of 18 in 1954, she had no idea that her most fulfilling part of her service would come some 60 years later -- May 21, 2014.
That's the date Tipling joined 80 men that had served from World War II to Vietnam on an "Honor Flight" from the Cedar Rapids airport to Washington, D.C.
The Honor Flight Network began in 2005 to help World War II veterans visit the newly constructed World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an estimated 640 World War II veterans die each day and getting as many of these former soldiers to the memorial as possible was their mission. The program has since been expanded to include veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Tipling, who served from from 1954-1959 and is originally from Ida Grove, was one of these Korean era veterans taht was selected to take the flight. Tipling is the receipient (sic) of the Korean Service Medal and was in the Air Force for over five. years.
"It was 80 men and me," said Tipling. "We were all veterans, all friends. It was a very relaxed and loving experience."
Upon getting to the Cedar Rapids airport at 5:30 a.m. for their departure, the veterans were greeted by a large group of people applauding and thanking them for their service. Each veteran was assigned a "guardian" for the day who helped them on the flight and during tours in Washington, D.C.
The group, ushered around Washington, D.. in buses with a motorcycle escort to avoid traffic, toured the World War II Memorial, the Lincoln, Korean and Vietnam Memorials and [as] well as the Women's Memorial, which honors the 1.8 million women who have served in the military during the history of the United States.
Also visited were Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Iwo Jima Memorial, Air Force and FDR Memorials.
Tipling said her favorite part of the trip was, "The whole thing. They just treated us like kings and queens."
The group returned to Cedar Rapids at 10:30 p.m., where Tipling said she received another meaningful surprise.
"When we got back, I think the whole city of Cedar Rapids was there to greet us," said Tipling. "They really welcomed us back. They even had a band playing."
Tipling said that she received a number of handmade cards from children, thanking her for her service. "It was overwhelming," she said.
She received a number of plaques and medals while on the trip which she will send to the Ida Grove Historical Society for display there.
Her lasting memory of the trip was the welcomehome reception, and walking through a long row of well-wishers.
"I walked through that line of people welcoming us back for all of the kids I knew and served with," said Tipling.
Tipling said it took her about three days to recover from the trip due to the amount of walking she did at the various historical sights (sic), but it was all worth it.
"I remember all the tough times I had when I was in the service .... the KP duty and such. This flight made up for all of that. It gave me something I really needed .... closure."
Photograph courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, June of 2014
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