Team Impact- LCMS

World War II Veteran,  Mr. Charles Foster, shared with Team Impact how attending an Honor Flight impacted him and other veterans.  Mr. Foster told of leaving St. Louis at 2:00 a.m. and being greeted in D.C. by applause and persons with flags.  We saw many photos and heard interesting information about the monument and its construction. For example, there are four eagles made of bronze, each weighing 20,000 pounds.  There are 4,000 stars, each representing 100 lives lost.  Every letter of every word on the memorial was hand carved.  The veterans received letters back from their family on the plane ride home.  Mr. Foster said, "They did mail call." He conveyed that he and the men were touched many times on the trip and it was an honor to go.  "It brings back many memories," he said. 

Mr. Foster further shared about his experiences in Africa, Normandy, and many other countries from 1942-1945.  In reply to student questions, Mr. Foster replied,  "War is not as glamorous as you think" when you are 19, he said.  He talked of digging fox holes, a fellow soldier being shot in the heart, the drive to keep going constantly, the sound of bullets popping, being hit in the helmet with shrapnel, and post-traumatic stress.  When a student asked, "What drives you when you are out there?" he replied, "You don't want to be killed."  He said that on the battlefield, you hold nothing against the other guy, and they hold nothing against you.  It is kill or be killed.  He told of shaking hands with Winston Churchill, and the way our country rationed food and gas to support the war. 

Mr. Foster thanked all of our students for raising money for an honor flight.  It was an experience he will never forget.

Check Us Out!
 First Quarter Video