Joplin WWII vet selected for Ozarks Honor Flight w/ memorial info and photo gallery

By Scott Meeker

smeeker@joplinglobe.com

On Monday morning, Jim Price was trying to recall all of the paperwork he had to fill out before being accepted for the Ozarks Honor Flight’s inaugural trip out of Springfield.

His daughter had sent in an application on his behalf, but Price said it had been several months, and he had forgotten about it until he was contacted recently and informed that he had been selected.

“I had to fill out a form that asked several questions about my medical information, and it asked all kinds of questions about the military branch I served in, and all that happy stuff,” he said. “Then, three days later, they called me back and wanted me to come over to get instructions. That’s how it happened.”

In less than 24 hours, Price was scheduled to board a 7 a.m. flight out of Springfield to Washington, D.C., to see the National World War II Memorial. He had visited the nation’s capital several times during his 82 years, but he hadn’t been back to see the memorial that was dedicated in 2004 despite being an early financial contributor to the project.

“I’ve seen pictures of it, but I think it will really be something to see,” Price said Monday. “It’s something I would never get to see otherwise. I wouldn’t be going back there unless this happened.”

‘A narrow window’

Price was among 75 World War II veterans from the region who were selected to take part in the flight.

Price’s daughter, Marsha Rudd, learned of the program from her husband, a retired Air Force veteran. The program offers veterans a free trip to see the memorial.

Rudd, who lives in Springfield, said she immediately thought of her father when she heard about the Honor Flight program.

Price — known by his crew mates as “Jimbo” — spent 30 of his 36 months in the Navy on board cruisers, including the USS Atlanta during fighting at Okinawa in 1945.

“We bombarded that island for several days, and I didn’t think there would be anybody left on it,” he said. “But they were all underground in tunnels.”

Japanese suicide bombers were a constant threat.

“I was scared to death all the time,” Price said. “The sky was full of them, and I saw ships get ripped apart by them.”