Thomas brothers excited about trip to DC

CINDY WOOD/independent feature writer

There is one question that remains … who gets the parachute?

For Don and Bob Thomas, the answer is a no-brainer. Bob is a former lightweight boxing champion whose gloves and robe are proudly displayed at the Van Wert County Historical Museum. Don? Well, he likes to spend time in his garden.

“I guess we know who’s getting the parachute, don’t we?” Don said with a laugh.

All kidding aside, the brothers are looking forward to an upcoming trip that will take them to the nation’s capital for a day of sightseeing and a hero’s welcome.

The trip, unfortunately, will be one of the last for the Honor Flight of Northwest Ohio, a charitable organization that provides funds to take area veterans to Washington, D.C. Since its formation in 2007, Honor Flight of Northwest Ohio has organized 33 flights carrying 1,730 veterans to the nation’s capital.

Honor Flight Network, founded in 2005, boasts 101 regional hubs in 39 states. The brainchild of Earl Morse, a retired U.S. Air Force captain, the Honor Flight network has made dreams come true for thousands of veterans across the nation. It all began, simply enough, when Morse was working for the Department of Veterans Affairs as a physician’s assistant at a clinic in Springfield. Through conversations with his patients, Morse realized very quickly that most veterans had simply given up hope of visiting the war memorials created to honor their service.

Morse set about to change that, and in December of 2004 asked one of those veterans if he could fly him to D.C. free of charge. The man broke down and cried — and eagerly accepted the offer. A week later, Morse made the same inquiry to another veteran, who also accepted the offer.

He knew that he was onto something and Morse addressed 150 members of the aero club at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, asking for their help to get these veterans to Washington. He had only two stipulations: veterans would pay nothing for their trip and the pilots would serve as tour guides and escort the veterans around D.C. After his speech, 11 pilots volunteered to help and Honor Flight was born.

More volunteers came on board to begin raising funds for the first flight in May of 2005, when six planes flew 12 veterans to Virginia, before they were transported in vans to the World War II Memorial.

The response was overwhelming. As more and more veterans joined the list, the organization began using commercial aircraft to transport 40 veterans at a time. By year’s end, the organization had organized trips for nearly 140 veterans. To date, over 81,000 veterans have made the trip through the Honor Flight network.

While the majority of Honor Flight’s hubs are thriving, the regional hub in Toledo has struggled to remain afloat and, in March, issued a press release noting that 2014 would be the last year for Honor Flight of Northwest Ohio.

The Thomas brothers will experience one of those remaining trips, together, just as the family wanted.

“I was scheduled to go on the flight this month, but JoEllen, Bob’s lovely daughter, who is a nurse, found out her dad was going, so she intervened and made arrangements for Bob and I to go together,” Don Thomas said. Accompanying Don on the trip will be his son, Kevin.

“Guardians” on the trip pay for their own flight and expenses and undergo training to learn how to assist veterans on their trip. Accompanying Bob on his trip will be his daughter, JoEllen.

“I guess they don’t want old people trying to help other old people,” Bob said with a laugh, noting that guardians must meet specified age limits.

It will be a trip to remember for the Thomas family, and one that is well deserved. The close-knit clan has made their lives in Van Wert County and both men graduated from Van Wert High School.

“We don’t have to tell you when we graduated, do we?” Don asked with a chuckle.

After their graduation, both men went into service. Bob served in the Navy from 1950-1954 and Don in the United States Army from 1951-1953. Bob recalls his time spent on an aircraft carrier and trips through the Suez Canal as he traveled to and from Korea. Don spent most of his time in a railroad outfit taking care of ordering materials to rebuild bridges and tunnels that had been bombed.

The men returned home to Van Wert County and began building their lives and families in their hometown. Years passed and life was good for the Thomas family. But in 1969, the family’s strength and resolve would be tested in a way many cannot begin to fathom.

It was 1969 in Van Wert and Moonlight Madness was under way in downtown Van Wert. The mood was celebratory as families paid tribute to the nation’s independence and flocked downtown in their pajamas to enjoy special sales and discounts from local merchants.

It was an idyllic setting. Children were smiling and laughing, happy to be up past their bedtime, and parents were eagerly scurrying their children from store to store to find the best deals. Across the street Don Thomas was just a few short months into his job as Van Wert County sheriff. For all intents and purposes, it appeared to be a normal evening, aside from the typical revelers who got a bit out of hand.

With all the holiday hoopla in place around them, over at the jail, it was just another run-of-the-mill visiting night. At the time, the Sheriff’s Office also served as home to the Thomas family and, that night, Don’s wife Mary Ellen was in her residence with two of her children. Kay, who was then 12 years old, was due home from swim practice.

Downstairs, a man walked into the office and was let in by a dispatcher who assumed the man was there for an inmate visit. Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, the man had come from the city police station where he had just wrestled a gun away from a policeman before shooting him in the foot. After leaving the station, the man, later identified as Jerry Hill, walked into the jail and into the pages of Van Wert’s history books.

“The gal that operated the door, she just figured that he was coming in to visit one of the prisoners,” Don said. “So she went ahead and let him in, and that’s when all hell broke loose.”

Armed with the gun he had taken from the policeman, the man began unlocking the cell doors to free the prisoners before arming them with billy clubs.

“Do you know all those prisoners came back and not a one of them went running,” Don said, adding, though, the nightmare was just beginning.

The man eventually forced his way into the Thomas residence, where he took the family hostage using the sheriff’s own handcuffs. Mary Ellen pleaded with the gunman, frantic that her daughter might come through the door.

“I had no idea all of this was going on,” Kay said, adding that Van Wert’s long-time radio voice, Mark Hartman, was broadcasting live.

“We heard on the radio that there was a shootout at the jail and that’s how I found out about it,” Kay added.

Back at the jail, the gunman took the Thomas family into Don’s office, and told them all to get on the floor. “He told me first thing when we went in there that if anybody came through the door into our home, they would be shot,” Mary Ellen recalled. “I told him I had a young daughter that would probably be coming in and he told me he didn’t care, and that he would shoot anyone.”

Mary Ellen was unaware that a jail trustee had somehow managed to get their 7-year-old daughter out the door and out of harm’s way. Don Thomas and his deputies were stationed in different areas of the building, waiting for the right moment to make their move.

“I had posted myself in a dispatcher’s room and posted another deputy in my office, so if he ran by, we would get him,” Don said.

When the gunman did finally run by, deputies took aim and fired, but a stray bullet that had gone through a cement wall struck a deputy, tragically killing him. During the melee, Don took a bullet in the arm before the gunman was captured after what must have seemed like an eternity for the family.

“It was quite an experience, but I’m glad all that’s over with,” Don said, adding that he went on to serve 12 years as Van Wert County’s sheriff. “That life is over with and I’m tickled that I’m out of it.”

Nowadays, life is much more laid back for the Thomas clan. Don spends his time gardening, while Bob is a woodworker and shuffleboard champion.

Both men are excited to be a part of the upcoming Honor Flight, but, like most veterans, are quiet and humble when it comes to their time spent serving. But if you’re looking for a good laugh, the Thomas brothers will give it to you, whether you want it or not.

“Well, apparently I was told they have some type of parade when they send you off,” Don said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I sure hope they have a couple white horses for us to ride.”

And Bob? Well, he’s the quiet one of the two and seems to just be happily enjoying the ride.

“I hear they’re going to feed us breakfast before we leave, and give us a hat to wear, too,” Bob said to his brother.

“Oh, well that sure will be nice,” Don answered, adding, “H-m-m, free breakfast you say?”

It’s the little things.