Member Spotlight: Bart Graham
Posted on Aug. 28, 2024 / Member News, Public Service / Subscribe 0
I've had a soft spot in my heart for veterans since 1971. On August 5 of that year, I endured sitting through the last lottery for the Vietnam War. As a college student, I had a deferral, but everyone knew that if your number was called and it was low, you had to serve.
The lottery was a method the federal government used to prioritize when American men would be drafted into military service. (Women were not drafted.) The lottery was broadcast on TV, and many students my age stayed home from classes that day to watch their fate unfold. Your birthday was assigned a number. My assigned number turned out to be 199. Luckily, the draft board was only calling up to 150 that day. I was safe, but I would have served if called. A friend I sat next to in one of my classes drew number 1, and he told me he was already packing when I saw him the next day.
It is well-documented that the Vietnam War was not popular in the United States. PRSA Tampa Bay member Kirk Hazlett served, and he can attest to that. Many draftees opted for the Air Force or Navy. A few defected to Canada. And a very few became draft dodgers.
When our men and women returned from ‘Nam, they were not welcomed home like World War II and even Korean War vets.
So, you can see why I have a soft spot for veterans. And, yes, I will admit to watching the late 1980s TV show “Tour of Duty,” knowing that it could have been me going to Vietnam.
In 2021, I decided to add a non-profit organization to the list of organizations for which I volunteered. The mainstream organizations either gave me the cold shoulder or asked me to volunteer on their own terms and time. As an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University graduate, I continue to be interested in anything related to aviation. I saw Honor Flights, but they were not flying at the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through the PRSA IPA Section, I met Wendy D’Alessandro. She owns a PR agency, and one of her pro bono clients is a nationwide non-profit named Dream Flights. Dream Flights gives free rides in 1940-era Stearman biplanes to World War II, Korean, and Vietnam War Veterans. She invited me to check out a flight in Williston. Dream Flights aimed to give 1,000 World War II vets flights nationwide over three months with their fleet of six Stearman aircraft.
The Williston mission flew a 96-year-old veteran named Joe, who fought in the Battle of Anzio in Italy. After hearing his story, I was hooked on Dream Flights. Over the next few months, I chased a Dream Flights Stearman up and down the West Coast of Florida and must have witnessed 35 veterans getting rides while serving as an assistant crew chief. The stories I heard were heartwarming.
Pictured: Joe and the Dream Flights crew at Williston in 2021
In Fort Myers, I watched a B-17 co-pilot named George get talked into taking a ride. George was very quiet before his ride. After his ride, that all changed. He shared that his bomber was nicknamed “the Gremlin's Hotel,” and he flew 35 missions without being shot down.
At Airport Manatee, we gave a ride to a Vietnam War Little Bird helicopter pilot who was shot down while on a mission. He was shot in the leg, and he and his observer had to wait to be rescued. He never flew again and currently walks with a cane and a limp. He appreciated that my crew chief and I took the time to listen to his story.
Where has this led me? To the Commemorative Air Force, of course, where I am the Development Officer for the Tampa Bay Wing. The CAF is a nationwide organization that honors World War II aviation and veterans by selling rides in their fleet of 180 WWII-era aircraft. Our wing has a 1943 PT-19 World War II training aircraft at Lakeland International Airport. I am happy to give a tour of the plane if you ever get to Lakeland!
My last story is about my involvement with the United Service Organizations (USO), a nonprofit that supports military members and families. I decided to volunteer with them last fall. This led me to help at the recent sendoff of veterans who went to Normandy for the D-Day ceremony, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the largest amphibious assault in military history, a turning point in the war. During that sendoff, some military recruits passing through our Tampa International Airport USO Center en route to basic training were escorted to the sendoff so they could talk to our true American heroes, the World War II vets heading off to the ceremony. One recruit, hoping to be a paratrooper, spent the longest time talking to an elder paratrooper. The World War II vet advised the recruit, "Don't look down!"
Now you can see why I have a soft spot in my heart for vets!
About the author: Bart Graham has served PRSA Tampa Bay in many ways, including past board member and past membership chair. For PRSA, he served as the membership chair of the IPA section and is a current member of the section, and he served as co-chair of the National Membership Committee.
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