Honor flight for 99-year-old Indiana WWII veteran

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) -Bill Hoover, a 99-year-old World War II veteran, traveled to Washington on an Honor Flight after seven years on the waiting list. The trip marked the first time he saw the memorial built to honor his fellow service members.

Hoover was greeted in Washington by several members of Congress. He said the trip was worth the wait.

“I’m having a great day. Yeah. There’s just nothing like it. Anything can happen in this country and it usually does. Here I am, ninety-nine and just getting to see what the country is all about,” Hoover said.

Some parts of the trip were bittersweet for Hoover, who served as a medic in the U.S. Navy.

“Taking care of wounded guys coming back, which has lived with me all my life. I get a little emotional,” Hoover said.

Hoover looked back on his life and said he’s proud of raising eight children with his wife. He noted that newer generations wouldn’t be able to imagine the country during World War II, when resources were rationed.

“A ticket for sugar. A ticket for butter. All the farmers farmed in the daytime and worked in the factories at night to make things go. An amazing time. Seeing all your cousins, brothers and uncles and aunts going off to war and some of them never coming back, that’s the part of life that we have to deal with,” Hoover said.

Hoover also shared some advice on living in the United States.

“It’s not hard to figure out why people want to come to this country. You just look around. Get up on your own and look around. Enjoy what we got. Forget all the hoopla, and enjoy the good part of our country,” Hoover said.