Greenwood veteran takes trip on 45th Never Forgotten Honor Flight

By Cheyenne Thomas On one of the cards Ed Krultz received recently on the Never Forgotten Honor Flight was the following quote by Captain J.E. “Ned” Dolan of the United States Marine Corps: “Freedom is not free, but the U.S. Marine Corps will pay most of your share.” Having served for three years and four months in the Marines, Krultz knows the truth of that statement and of the sacrifi ces many men and women have made over the years in their service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Krultz, along with many other veterans from Wisconsin, had the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C.; and the numerous memorials there honoring the nation’s veterans on the 45th Never Forgotten Honor Flight on Sept. 25. While there, the veterans were not only able to be honored for their service, but also to honor those whose names are engraved on the walls of the memorials, the names of those who never came home.

Even in his younger years, Ed Krultz was never particularly fond of traveling. As a young man growing up outside of Greenwood, Ed Krultz always knew his home and his heart belonged on a farm in

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Clark County, and it was his dream to take up that life after graduation. But, during those years, the draft was still ongoing and Krultz said he knew it was likely he would be drafted once he was out of high school.

“I didn’t want to get drafted,” he said. “I wanted to start working and farm after graduating. I didn’t want to get started on that and then get drafted and come back and start all over again. I wanted to get my obligation over with.”

So, before his graduation in the spring of 1962, he and a high school friend signed up to join the U.S. Marine Corps. His reason for joining the Marines was rather simple, but effective.

“Me and a friend went out on recruiting day and saw the guys in their uniforms and I just liked their uniform,” said Krultz.

He started his service in September 1962. For his assignment, Krultz said he was shipped to Okinawa, Japan, where he spent 15 months. The trip there and back was a long, memorable experience.

“When I went overseas, it was 21 days on a boat, one way,” he said. “I didn’t get seasick, but a lot of the guys did. I did get a sore butt though from sitting on a metal seat for 21 days. You played cards to pass the time and you had to learn how to play quick because we didn’t play for free.”

While stationed in Japan, Krultz said he was in the guard company where he watched the main gate of the base and acted as military police.

“We would man the gates and watch 24 hours with different shifts,” he said. “We would drive the patrol car around the base to check things out. I also worked in the brig, the jail, for a little while.”

They also played war games to hone their skills. “We would do a lot of jumping in and out of boats for landings,” he said. “When you’re 20 years old, it’s easy to jump in and out of them; you don’t think about how much effort those exercises take.”

After his time in Japan, Krultz was sent back stateside where he spent the remainder of his time in the service at a base in South Carolina. As part of the guard company, he said he helped in funeral services for many veterans — most of whom served in World War I.

“We did a lot of funerals with the 21-gun salute,” he said. Although he was set to end his three-year stint in the military in September 1965, events of the time extended his time in the service by four months. The Vietnam war was starting to heat up, and the military was put on high alert. But Krultz never had to leave U.S. soil again, and in January 1966, he was honorably discharged.

“It was only supposed to be a three-year tour, but it got delayed,” he said. “We ended up putting in an extra four months. When I went into the service, there wasn’t much public opinion one way or the other on Vietnam, you were just expected to serve. Shortly after I got out was when things started to get controversial.”

After his time in the service ended, Krultz ended up working a few different jobs before making his way back to Greenwood and starting the path to fulfill his dream to become a farmer. He enjoyed living out his dream for many years, and it wasn’t until a few years ago when a friend brought up the Honor Flight, that he ever thought of making the trip.

“A friend of mine, Roger Schwartz, said that I should sign up for it,” he said. “It was well worth it.”

The all-day trip to Washington, D.C., took Krultz, his nephew Doug — who served as his guardian —and other veterans and guardians to many of the memorials in the nation’s capital. For Krultz, the most notable sights they visited were the Iwo Jima Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial Wall.

“It was busy, very busy,” he said of the trip. “We got to see a lot of the memorials, Lincoln, Vietnam, Korea, 9/11 by the Pentagon. It was really interesting. My favorite was the Marine Corps Iwo Jima Memorial because that is my branch. At the Vietnam Wall, it was very emotional. I got a rubbing of the name Gary Brooks from Greenwood who died in Vietnam in 1966. He was a very good friend of my sister and I’ll be giving this to her someday.”

On the return trip, Krultz said he received his biggest surprise of the day with the arrival of a package of mail for him. Some of the letters he received were from people he had never met, while others were from family, friends and community members from Greenwood. It was very touching, he said.

“It brings tears to your eyes,” he said. “The mail call was a very special surprise. I couldn’t believe how many cards there were. Some were from people I knew, and I was impressed that they had all of this done without ever telling me. There were also many from people I didn’t know.

The final stage of the journey home brought one final surprise for Krultz. A massive crowd stood at the airport when they arrived, despite the late hour, including members of his family who had traveled many miles to see his return.

“When we got back there was a massive crowd,” he said. “There must have been 500 people even though it was late. About two dozen members of my family were there. All in all, it was very impressive.”

Greenwood Marine veteran Ed Krultz chats with one of the guardians from the Never Forgotten Honor Flight.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO