![\"Bob](\"https:\/\/www.thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Thomas-brothers-5-2014.jpg\")
<\/a>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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess we know who\u2019s getting the parachute, don\u2019t we?\u201d Don said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
All kidding aside, the brothers are looking forward to an upcoming trip that will take them to the nation\u2019s capital for a day of sightseeing and a hero\u2019s welcome.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
While the majority of Honor Flight\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
The Thomas brothers will experience one of those remaining trips, together, just as the family wanted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was scheduled to go on the flight this month, but JoEllen, Bob\u2019s 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,\u201d Don Thomas said. Accompanying Don on the trip will be his son, Kevin.<\/p>\n
\u201cGuardians\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess they don\u2019t want old people trying to help other old people,\u201d Bob said with a laugh, noting that guardians must meet specified age limits.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have to tell you when we graduated, do we?\u201d Don asked with a chuckle.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s strength and resolve would be tested in a way many cannot begin to fathom.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s independence and flocked downtown in their pajamas to enjoy special sales and discounts from local merchants.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s Office also served as home to the Thomas family and, that night, Don\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s history books.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe gal that operated the door, she just figured that he was coming in to visit one of the prisoners,\u201d Don said. \u201cSo she went ahead and let him in, and that\u2019s when all hell broke loose.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know all those prisoners came back and not a one of them went running,\u201d Don said, adding, though, the nightmare was just beginning.<\/p>\n
The man eventually forced his way into the Thomas residence, where he took the family hostage using the sheriff\u2019s own handcuffs. Mary Ellen pleaded with the gunman, frantic that her daughter might come through the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had no idea all of this was going on,\u201d Kay said, adding that Van Wert\u2019s long-time radio voice, Mark Hartman, was broadcasting live.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe heard on the radio that there was a shootout at the jail and that\u2019s how I found out about it,\u201d Kay added.<\/p>\n
Back at the jail, the gunman took the Thomas family into Don\u2019s office, and told them all to get on the floor. \u201cHe told me first thing when we went in there that if anybody came through the door into our home, they would be shot,\u201d Mary Ellen recalled. \u201cI told him I had a young daughter that would probably be coming in and he told me he didn\u2019t care, and that he would shoot anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s way. Don Thomas and his deputies were stationed in different areas of the building, waiting for the right moment to make their move.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had posted myself in a dispatcher\u2019s room and posted another deputy in my office, so if he ran by, we would get him,\u201d Don said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was quite an experience, but I\u2019m glad all that\u2019s over with,\u201d Don said, adding that he went on to serve 12 years as Van Wert County\u2019s sheriff. \u201cThat life is over with and I\u2019m tickled that I\u2019m out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nowadays, life is much more laid back for the Thomas clan. Don spends his time gardening, while Bob is a woodworker and shuffleboard champion.<\/p>\n
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\u2019re looking for a good laugh, the Thomas brothers will give it to you, whether you want it or not.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, apparently I was told they have some type of parade when they send you off,\u201d Don said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. \u201cI sure hope they have a couple white horses for us to ride.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Bob? Well, he\u2019s the quiet one of the two and seems to just be happily enjoying the ride.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hear they\u2019re going to feed us breakfast before we leave, and give us a hat to wear, too,\u201d Bob said to his brother.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, well that sure will be nice,\u201d Don answered, adding, \u201cH-m-m, free breakfast you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the little things.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CINDY WOOD\/independent feature writer There is one question that remains \u2026 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-12 10:38:34","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51645\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}