99-year-old World War II veteran from Belleville set to be honored with Dream Flight
World War II veteran Bob Schultz doesn’t see himself as a hero, but many people would disagree.
“I feel uncomfortable when they call me a hero, because many others did so much,” he said.
Schultz embodies the Marines motto, “Semper Fidelis,” which means “Always Faithful,” and has been proud to wear the uniform since he was on the battleship, the USS California, in the Pacific Theater.
The veteran is being honored with a Dream Flight on Labor Day. It’s set for 9 a.m. Monday, Sept. 6, at the Downtown St. Louis Airport in Cahokia, where Jet Aviation is located.
His friends at the O’Fallon VFW Charles A. Fricke Post 805 plan to be on hand, gathering at 8:30 a.m. to cheer him on, and encourage anyone to join them. Afterwards, a celebratory reception will take place.
“I’ve been a member of the O’Fallon VFW for many years. We were spending so much time there, at Post 805, I just thought I should join. We like it a lot. They are great people, and they are very active,” said Schultz, a Belleville resident.
Schultz, 99, took part in the recent O’Fallon City Fest parade, riding in a restored World War II jeep with the Post 805 Commander John Pietrusinski. The commander plans to escort Schultz to the plane Monday.
Dream Flights Organization
The Dream Flights organization, which honors military veterans, launched an initiative called Operation September Freedom on Aug. 1 and planned to honor about 1,000 World War II veterans in 61 days.
It is the largest barnstorming event in U.S. history, the organization states on its website.
“It is the first and only Dream Flight Tour dedicated to honoring the men and women who fought in the war that changed the world,” read a statement. “Our mission is to honor as many as possible, thanking them for fighting for freedom.”
This year it is estimated only 100,000 of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II will be alive. The youngest will be 95.
The signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, which effectively ended the war, was 76 years ago Sept. 2.
The cost of Dream Flights is funded by sponsorships and donations, and supported by volunteer pilots, crew members, maintenance and administrative staff.
Every veteran will fly in one of six restored Boeing Stearman biplanes, the same aircraft used to train aviators during World War II.
The pilots and crew will barnstorm across the country, stopping in about 300 towns to meet WWII veterans and their families.
“They’ll listen to their stories and fly the vets in open-cockpit biplanes, soaring 1,000 feet above family and friends,” the website stated.
The O’Fallon VFW nominated Schultz.
“I am lucky I was chosen,” he said.
Dream Flights was launched in 2011, providing free flights to more than 4,200 veterans and seniors living in long-term care communities.
Becoming a Marine in 1942
Schultz grew up in Racine, Wisconsin, and was working as a machinist when Hollywood’s gung-ho war effort changed his life.
A month after Pearl Harbor, Schultz saw the movie, “To the Shores of Tripoli,” starring Randolph Scott, Maureen O’Hara and John Payne.
“I was impressed with the Marines. It was such a great tradition,” he said.
On his 20th birthday April 1, 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He became one of the Seagoing Marines, a small detachment that served along with hundreds of sailors aboard naval warships. They served on ships until 1998.
He went to boot camp in San Diego, then on to Sea School. Assigned to the U.S.S. California, Schultz manned anti-aircraft guns, guarding against enemy aircraft, and guarded the brig and protected the ship’s captain, among other duties.
Sunk at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack, the U.S.S. California was rebuilt and back in action in January 1944.
He saw quite a bit of action in the islands of the Pacific Ocean: Saipan, Tinian, Guam and later the Philippines.
“We would bombard the beaches with the big guns,” he said. “The ship was in every major battle in the Pacific.”
A kamikaze attack in January 1945 resulted in 44 deaths and 155 wounded on board his ship. Schultz was not injured.
“It was quite serious,” he said.
The ship returned to Bremerton, Washington, for repairs, and then returned in June to support the troops fighting in Okinawa. His crew was among the first Americans in Occupied Japan.
Schultz said his enlistment was for the duration of the war and he was eligible to go home in December 1945.
After Okinawa, he said it was anti-climactic.
“The war was slowing down,” he said
‘The experience of a lifetime’
For his service, he received two Bronze Stars.
After circumnavigating the globe, the ship arrived at its new port in Philadelphia on Dec. 7, 1945. Schultz said they went from Japan to Singapore to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Cape Town in South Africa.
“It was the experience of a lifetime,” he said. “We spent time in each country.”
He explained the ship was too deep to navigate the Panama Canal, and too wide to use the Suez Canal as shortcuts, so they had to be routed that way.
A rickshaw driver in Ceylon offered to show him the sights, which he agreed to, and during the day, met an old photographer with an old-fashioned camera. He snapped their photo, then developed it, and Schultz said that photo, which he still has, is as clear today as it was in 1945.
“He drove me around the city. We went all over. He spoke perfect English,” he said.
Going to School on the GI Bill
After the war, Schultz went to business school in Milwaukee, courtesy of the new GI Bill.
“I came from a poor family, so affording college was out of the question until the GI Bill,” he said.
Schultz earned a degree in business administration and worked in real estate and insurance. He moved to Belleville about 32 years ago but never officially retired because he had so many loyal clients who wanted him to stay on as their insurance agent.
“I never did actually retire. I would have three generations of home ownership in one family. They would say ‘You can’t quit.’ I told them eventually I was too old,” he said.
Schultz and his wife of over 40 years, Shirley, now spend their days helping to care for their four grandchildren. He has five sons from a previous marriage and Shirley had one daughter.
“We have full-time jobs picking them up from school, taking them to Boy Scout meetings and soccer games,” he said.
Additionally, Schultz enjoys reuniting with his fellow veterans.
“Once a Marine, always a Marine,” he said.
Schultz attended the commission of the new USS California as a nuclear-powered submarine.
His Next Birthday
Because his 100th birthday falls on April 1, 2022, the O’Fallon VFW has already announced its annual .1 Fun Run will take place April 2, in his honor.
Schultz has been participating since he was 95.
He said the organization makes him feel special by giving him a race day number that coincides with his age, so he will be no. 100 then.
Here’s the link to his event on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/UzJqaNI9.
Here’s the link to Dream Flights: https://dreamflights.org/.
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 11:36 AM.