World War II veteran, 97-year old Dale Faughn of Fredonia, recently took a trip of a lifetime.
Faughn, accompanied by his son Paul, was part of Honor Flight Bluegrass that recently returned to Iwo Jima, Japan.
click to download audioAccording to Faughn, he was drafted into the U.S. Marine Corp when he was 19-years old.
click to download audioFaughn trained in San Diego, California as a scout sniper but was moved around.
click to download audioAnd he was unaware that he was going to be sent to Iwo Jima.
click to download audioAccording to Faughn, he has wanted to go back to Iwo Jima and was happy when the opportunity arose to fly with the Honor Flight Bluegrass.
click to download audioOn February 19, 1945, the Battle of Iwo Jima commenced, the day Faughn arrived. He noted that the most difficult part of his experience while in Iwo Jima was the “uncertainty.”
On this trip, Faughn was also able to go up to Mount Seriaki to see the monument, which he said was impressive when he first saw it and the American flag flying there.
click to download audioFaughn read a poem while on his recent trip to Iwo Jima. He says he was inspired to write the poem “I Met the Flag at Iwo Jima” after he saw the flag raised there in 1945.
click to download audioThe Honor Bluegrass Flight returned to the Louisville airport on March 27th after the 10-day trip.
In October of last year, Faughn, and three other World War II veterans were recognized by the Caldwell County High School Band of Pride before their halftime performance at the football game. The band’s musical theme last year was “In Memoriam” based on the movie Pearl Harbor, which inspired them to honor Faughn, and three other local veterans.
