Long way home for Memorial Day

[ltcmark]

My wife belongs to an email list for her dogs.  After she read this, she sent it to me.  It is very touching.  This is being posted with permission from the author.

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I went to a funeral on Wed., May 25, for Arthur Hodapp, a member of our church, who died SIXTY years ago in a Korean prisoner of war camp. Arthur's
sister, Frances Meyers, is one of the worker bees at St. Joseph Catholic Church here. Everyone knows her. She sets up the altar for Mass every Saturday night.  Fran is pushing ninety but you'd never know it.

Fran had four brothers who all served in World War 2. After the war, Artie, the youngest, joined the Army Reserve, telling Fran 'there will never be
another war'. But he was called up and sent to Korea in 1950 where he eventually fell into the hands of the enemy.

In April, 1951, Artie's parents were notified that he was missing. After the war, the men who had been imprisoned with Artie reported
that he had died a few months after his capture, on July 3, 1951. His body was not recovered.

All those years went by. Artie's parents died, then two of his brothers. They died not knowing if Artie would ever return from the war.

Forty six years went by. In 1999, many boxes of co-mingled, unidentified remains were  turned over to United States officials by North Korea. They were taken to an Army lab at the Punchbowl Military Cemetery in Hawaii for analysis.

Last year, Fran received notice that Artie's remains had been identified. She told them that she didn't want the remains buried in 
their family plot unless it was certain they were those of her brother. Blood samples had been submitted for testing from both Fran and her surviving
brother. A few months ago, the family learned that there was a DNA match. Artie was coming home.

Our church, which holds over 300 people, was filled for the funeral on Wednesday. I went to the front, before the funeral began, to see a display of mementos of  Artie's life and to pay my respects at the flag-draped coffin. Artie had been an altar boy, sometimes serving two Masses on Sundays. Now he was finally back in the church of his youth.

I didn't see Fran at first, and then there she was, on the altar, bringing  out the Communion items, just like she always does, even at her brother's 
funeral. She came down and gave me a hug and said, 'Thank you for coming'.  I told her that everyone had the same thought, that they didn't want her to be alone.  Except for her brother, her immediate family is deceased. Fran said, 'My church family is here for us this week.'

A van full of young Army soldiers drove 13 hours from Fort Leonard Wood MO  to be flag bearers. After a dwindling gun salute, an Army bugler played 'Taps'. An official from Korea was there to pay his respects, a liaison  between his country and ours. After the service at the cemetery, he presented a commemorative medal to all the Korean Veterans present.

An Army officer accompanied Artie's body from Hawaii last Sunday and stayed here in town until the funeral was held. A military honor guard met the
plane at O'Hare Field and carried off the coffin. Fran was there, on the tarmac, to see her brother arrive back in Illinois.

At the church, there were five pews reserved for Korean War Veterans. Most of the veterans are at least 80 years old. Artie, who will always be 
remembered as a young man, would be nearly 83 now. It was striking to read  the little memorial prayer card which said, 

Born Aug. 31,1928,
Died  July 3, 1951,
Mass of Christian Burial, May 25, 2011.

At the luncheon, we learned that there were identified nearly a complete set of  Artie's remains. His dog tag was hung from one of the railings
at the end of his coffin.

Within the last few years, Fran had a headstone placed in their family plot for Artie which bears his name and dates of birth and death, over an empty grave. She said that she prayed he would someday come home, and, if she was already gone, the church would then know where to bury her brother. But she has lived to see it. It was a remarkable day.


   Norma

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Here is a link with another story on Arthur Hodapp:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-us-koreanwar-powretu,0,2073303.story?page=1

God bless our veteran's and thank you for your service.

[Eclipse]

http://www.journalstandard.com/obituaries/x31867951/OBITUARY-Arthur-Hodapp