Cunard’s ocean luxury liner the Queen Mary II in New York Harbor. Photo Courtesy of Cunard
“See the world” is an enticement military recruiters employ. Harold Angle, for instance, got to march down the Champs-Elysees…during the 1944 Liberation of Paris. Mickey Ganitch went to Hawaii…Pearl Harbor, that is, during the attack on Oahu. Kevin Brewington woke up in Germany…after stepping on a land mine in Afghanistan. Harold Radish was in Germany, but not a hospital. He was imprisoned by the Nazis.
Past Michigan Travel Commissioner Art Tebo spent his entire career as COO of Boyne Resorts… after spending three years in jungle combat as an Army sergeant and counter-intelligence special agent during the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War.
“I said, ‘If I can survive this, I hope I can be a help to someone else in life,’” Tebo recalled.
On Veteran’s Day, and most every day, Tebo remembers his Second World War-era friends Bill Symons, who owned the general store in Petoskey after being wounded at Iwo Jima; and John Demmer, an industrialist from Lansing who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. The 80-year-old Tebo thinks of them while gazing across the placid waters of 4,200-acre Walloon Lake from the deck of his home. Or sometimes at the helm of his pontoon boat. “When you witness death and total destruction in your life, the peaceful beauty of water and boats is rewarding and calming in your life,” Tebo told me.
Cunard, the legendary luxury ocean-liner company, pays tribute to veterans by welcoming them aboard transatlantic voyages on its ship the Queen Mary 2. The Atlantic crossing is surely more comfortable for the veterans than what they experienced when they were shipped over to fight WWII in Europe.
“Cunard really rolls out the red carpet for our veterans,” said Timothy Davis, the founder and president of The Greatest Generations Foundation. “Cunard and our foundation provide a world class journey to pay homage to all those who fought and served, and those who perished in the Battle of the Atlantic. It is through their voices during enrichment programs and dialogue with the passengers aboard Cunard’s ships that we keep their legacies alive. Our oldest participant is 105 years of age.”
Davis allows there is a poignancy to discussing and describing battles, such as the D-Day water landing invasion, while at sea.
“Merchant Marines and the Navy played a critical role in the European front of WWII when you look at the munitions, supplies, and personnel that were shipped across the Atlantic to fight the Nazis. The legacy and impact Cunard played since then puts them at the forefront of honoring veterans who fought and served.”
Cunard, known for its famed White Star Service, is the only liner to offer regularly scheduled service between New York and London. Other itineraries aboard its Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth ships sail to South America, Africa, and Australia. The Greatest Generations Foundation, over 22 years, has helped more than 10,000 veterans make journeys to their respective battlefields, including Iwo Jima.
“We put boots back on the ground on that little island in the South Pacific eight decades after 36 days of hard fighting resulted in close to 7,000 Americans dead. Today it is peaceful and quiet, but through the men you can sense the destruction inflicted on those who battled there,” revealed Davis. “They go back in groups of 20 to 30 with no families or wives – strictly combat men. As those individuals go through that experience, they break. Everybody breaks. It is just a matter of when and how. The effects of war are never forgotten.”
The name of his foundation uses the phrase “greatest generations” in its name for a reason.
“We transcend our programs to include the next ‘great generation:’ the Korean War, the Vietnam War and beyond. Cunard showcases their greatness, which enriches the lives of the passengers on the ships,” said Davis. Cunard’s shipboard guests jump to their feet with appreciation, pride and sometimes tears, riveted by the veteran’s moving, personal narratives they hear in panel discussions, lectures, and Q&A’s.
Contact Michael Patrick Shiels at MShiels@aol.com His new book: Travel Tattler – Not So Torrid Tales, may be purchased via Amazon.com Hear his radio talk show on WJIM AM 1240 in Lansing weekdays from 9 am – noon.
