Clare Oaks residents meet Colin Powell during Honor Flight trip

Saturday, July 27, marks the 66th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice. Earlier this month, two Korean War veterans who are residents of Clare Oaks in Bartlett, found plenty of reason to reflect on their roles in America's forgotten war.

Thanks to encouragement from Tammy Holzer, director of Community Life at Clare Oaks, Jack Doyle and Chuck Fruehe applied to the Honor Flight Chicago program, which would fly them, compliments of Southwest Airlines, to Washington, D.C., where they would receive a hero's welcome.

Jack Doyle enlisted in the U.S. Army in April 1947, serving as a private in the 2nd Infantry at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington, and with the Military Police at Camp Stoneman in Pittsburg, California, until August 1948.

He signed up for the Army Reserves and was again called upon to serve as a wireman in the Korean War from February to September 1951. His duties included laying insulated wire in rural areas of central Korea to facilitate communication among U.S. troops.

Doyle witnessed some of the horrors of the war, including bodies of Chinese and North Korean soldiers killed by airstrikes and piled into ditches.

"You move on and try to forget about it after so many years," Doyle said. "But this trip caused me to think back."

Chuck Fruehe served from November 1952 to November 1954 as a clerk in the Army on a base near Heidelberg, Germany.

"I always felt I was not in the Korean War itself," Fruehe said. "But, when I was in a hospital for surgery, someone asked if I was a Korean War vet. I said I didn't think I fit the bill as a Korean War vet because I served in Germany. The man corrected me and said, 'You gave two years during that war to your country. You're a Korean War vet.'"

At 6:41 a.m. Wednesday, July 10, Doyle and Fruehe boarded a Washington-bound plane at Midway Airport carrying 17 other Korean War veterans, three World War II veterans and 83 Vietnam War veterans.

Beyond basking in the camaraderie of others who served and witnessing the fanfare upon their arrival in the nation's capital, the veterans toured the national war monuments.

While exploring the Korean War Memorial, which includes life-size bronze statues of U.S. soldiers wearing ponchos, Doyle recalled that putting two ponchos together would create a two-man pup tent.

"Not everybody knows that, but that's what I thought about when I saw those statues."

Fruehe couldn't get over the police escorts as they traveled through Washington, D.C.

"They treated us like gold. So many people kept telling us, 'Thank you for your service. Thank you for your service.' Police officers and firemen said, 'Thank you for your service!' and I couldn't help but thank them for their service."

At the World War II memorial, Fruehe and Doyle were stunned to hear those words again from former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

"He was wearing a black suit, and it was hot out. But, what was amazing, he managed to look like he was standing in a cooler. No sweat! It was amazing," Fruehe said.

"It was very nice of him to come up to us," said Doyle. "I didn't think I even qualified for Honor Flight, much less consider I would get to meet Colin Powell. The whole trip was amazing."

By the end of the day, Fruehe, 87, and Doyle, 89, had walked nearly five miles, according to a phone app used by Doyle's son, Jim.

"Fortunately, Chuck and I are in pretty good shape," Doyle said.

At many points along the way, volunteers offered the men rides in wheelchairs, but they only made use of them for touring the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

During that flight back to Chicago, volunteers called out, "Mail call!" and passed out letters written by friends and family. For Fruehe and Doyle, several letters came from fellow Clare Oaks residents.

"Some letters even came from people we didn't know, thanking us again for our service," said Doyle. "It was really touching."

When their plane landed at Midway Airport, family members and friends greeted the veterans with hugs and handmade signs saying, "Welcome Home!" A true hero's welcome.

Doyle, who retired as an insurance executive in 1995, moved with his wife, Pat, to Clare Oaks from Sun City in Huntley in 2016. They have four sons, a daughter and 13 grandchildren.

Fruehe, who retired as a purchasing manager for ComEd in 1991, moved with his wife, Agnes, to Clare Oaks from Lombard in 2014. They have five children, 14 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Clare Oaks is a retirement community offering independent living, assisted living, rehab and skilled nursing care on a 41-acre campus.