TIFFIN | Seneca County Honor Bus on the road with heroes again

TIFFIN (By Sheri Trusty, Seneca County Sheriff’s Office Public Relations Coordinator)

As 23 veterans boarded the Seneca County Honor Bus bound for Washington, D.C. before daylight on Oct. 30, volunteers stood nearby discussing how grateful they were that local law enforcement provided an escort for the first leg of the trip, starting at the Seneca County Fairgrounds.

Seneca County Sheriff’s Deputy Clayton Nominee, Tiffin Police Officer Alec Traxler, and Ohio State Patrol Lt. Jordan Schwochow escorted the group to the county line, where a Sandusky County Sheriff’s Deputy picked them up and escorted them to the turnpike.

“We have the city, county, and state represented here today,” said longtime Honor Bus volunteer, Cindy Reinhard. “The veterans really appreciate the escort. They always say they can’t believe they do this for us.”

And Seneca County appreciates its veterans. Among the nearly two dozen veterans who took the trip was Tim Kinn, the husband of retired Seneca County Jail kitchen staffer, Janet Kinn. Tim served in the Air Force from 1973 to 1977, where he worked on missile systems.

“We put them together and got them ready,” he said.

Tim served in Korea as part of Operation Paul Bunyon, a joint U.S. and South Korean operation launched in response to the axe killings of two United Nations Command officers by North Korean soldiers.

“It was in the DMZ. We were half worried they were going to invade us,” Tim said.

William Savidge, a Vietnam War veteran who served in the Army from 1965 to 1967, was also on the Honor Bus. He served as a cook with a tank company, which was constantly on the move. In addition to the dangers of war, Savidge remembers the deprived living conditions of war.

“What stands out to me more than anything was, we couldn’t shower. We had a trailer with a tank of water, but we could only use that for cooking and drinking,” he said. “I was dirty for a year, and I’ve never been dirty since. I take three showers a day sometimes.”

Marine Larry LaVoy was also on the Honor Bus. He is a Vietnam War veteran who served from 1970 to 1974. He came into the military with mechanic experience, so he was first assigned as a truck mechanic. He then moved to wrecker operator and eventually worked on F-4 Phantoms, multi-use fighters used extensively in the war.

“I was part of Operation Linebacker and Operation Linebacker II, which were saturation bombings of Hanoi,” he said.

B52 fighter jets often flew over the base where he was stationed, and during an intense campaign, several were severely damaged. One, too damaged to continue, had to be towed to base.

“I was probably the only U.S. Marine to tow a B52 with a wrecker,” he said. “It was an honor to get this guy to safety.”

The war, LaVoy said, had no winners.

“It was a bad deal all the way around. Nobody wins,” he said. “It hurt a lot of people, but that’s war.”

Although the war was confusing and traumatic, LaVoy is grateful he had the opportunity to serve.

“I was proud to serve, and I would do it again,” he said.

Seneca County Honor Bus provides free trips to Washington, D.C. for Seneca County veterans. The trips are organized by Toby and Dottie Colbert and Jenn Pahl, with the help of many dedicated volunteers, including six students from Old Fort and Seneca East schools.

“When the students get on the bus on Friday, they are kids,” Toby said. “When they get off the bus on Sunday, they are young adults.”

The bus will return to the Seneca County Fairgrounds on Sunday, Nov. 1, at approximately 9 p.m. The public is invited to greet and celebrate the returning veterans.