Jakobi brothers’ military service honored
Ken and Ron Jakobi recently went on the trip of a lifetime when they visited the memorials in Washington, D.C., on the Never Forgotten Honor Flight. The brothers, from rural Granton, were impacted by the honor shown for their military service.
Ken and Ron grew up on a farm about halfway between Loyal and Granton. Ken was drafted and served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971. He was part of the artillery and drove truck, transporting supplies.
Ron served in the Navy Reserves from 1963 to 1969. He signed up when he was 16 years old and went to boot camp between his junior and senior years of high school. He figured that if he hadn’t signed up, he most likely would have been drafted.
Ron spent two years on active duty, working as a cook aboard the U.S.S. Garcia (FF 1040), a destroyer escort ship.
“We were on a NATO cruise. We picked up a British ship, a Dutch ship and two Canadian ships. And then we switched personnel and parts and everything,” said Ron. “We went to the North Atlantic, so we stopped at the Azores (an archipelago in the mid-Atlantic) on the way over and took on supplies.”
Ron visited many well-known locations in Europe, including London, Plymouth, Liverpool and the White Cliffs of Dover in England; Copenhagen, Denmark; Oslo, Norway; Hamburg, Germany; and Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
The ship was built in Oakland, Calif., and traveled up the West Coast to Bremerton, Wash., to get the ship’s sonar working. Then the crew headed back south all the way to Panama, passed through the Panama Canal and traveled north to the ship’s home port in Newport, R.I.
“We were built to chase submarines, so in wartime we just went up and down the East Coast tracking submarines,” said Ron. Ron’s ship also visited Puerto Rico to honor Fernando Luis Garcia, the first Puerto Rican Medal of Honor recipient and the ship’s namesake.
After completing his time in the military, Ron worked for a few different cheesemakers, drove truck and drove the grader for his township. The last three years, he worked at Lynn Dairy. Ron has two daughters, Charlotte Johnson, who lives in the area; and Lynette Baird, who lives near Richfield. He also has four grandchildren.
After Ken’s military service, he made cheese for Schlinsog Dairy and spent 26 years farming. He lives on the old family farm. He and his wife, Rita, have two children: Dennis Jakobi and Janell Walter, both of whom live nearby; and seven grandchildren. Ken and Rita were the Honored Grandparents for last year’s Granton Fall Festival.
The flight The Never Forgotten Honor Flight is open to northern and central Wisconsin veterans who served honorably, in any branch of service, before May 7, 1975. Rita encouraged Ken to go on the flight, but he didn’t want to go unless Ron went. So Rita talked to Ron’s daughters, who thought it was a good idea and asked Ron to go. He agreed, and Ken and Ron got their names on the list in 2018. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, and it was their turn.
The brothers enjoyed a recognition banquet May 14 and an all-expense paid flight to our nation’s capital May 15. This was the biggest flight for the Wausau hub so far, with 110 veterans. The Jakobis were one of three sets of brothers on the flight, and also one of 88 sets of brothers that have flown on the 44 missions since 2010.
The full day’s tour included visiting the World War II, Korean and Vietnam memorials, as well as stops at the Lincoln Memorial, Air Force Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial (Marine Corps War Memorial) and Arlington National Cemetery to witness the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. An on-bus tour guide explained all the sights. The veterans received a police escort everywhere they went in D.C.
Both brothers appreciated getting to see all the memorials. For Ken, “seeing the Wall and all the gravestones at Arlington” were two sights that stood out.
Ron and Ken also learned a lot along the way. “We got a lot of information on everything that we went to because our tour guide knew so much,” said Ron. “You know, like, the Pentagon you can’t take any pictures on the outside, even. But she showed us where the airplane hit; you can see on the building it’s new… When we went through Arlington, she knew all the people that were buried there.”
Even after the plane lifted off from Reagan Airport to return home, the experience was far from over. The Jakobi brothers each received a huge stack of thank-you cards during “mail call.” Ken counted his and received more than 120 cards. Rita helped to make it happen, as she made sure to get the word out for people to send cards. She contacted her siblings, kids, exercise class, card class, church and other folks she knew to see if they were willing to contribute cards.
“They said it was the most cards of any of the flights,” said Ken.
Upon arriving home, the Mosinee airport was filled with people waiting to greet the veterans with a smile and shake their hands. A band played upbeat music.
“(The greeting when we came home) was the biggest thing. I never shook so many hands in my life. It was unbelievable,” said Ken. “When we came home from Vietnam, it didn’t happen to me, but I know a lot of soldiers got treated very poorly. With this, they did a good job of welcoming us.”
Ken and Ron will savor the memories of all they experienced, made richer by getting to do it together as brothers. They encouraged veterans who have yet to apply to the Honor Flight to not delay.
“It was very interesting and informative,” said Ron. “Don’t put it off — a lot of people do and they never make it out there.”
“Go and take your brother along,” said Ken, smiling.
VALORIE BRECHT/STAFF PHOTO
