U.S. Army veteran Paul Achorn (Courtesy photo)
U.S. Air Force veteran John Mitkus (Claire Taylor photo)
Two Lincoln County veterans – Paul Achorn, of Jefferson, and John Mitkus, of Bristol – recently enjoyed a tour of memorials in Washington, D.C. through Honor Flight Maine.
“It was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken,” said Mitkus.
Achorn, who was born and brought up in Jefferson, served in the U.S Army fresh out of high school. He was assigned to a hospital in Yokohama, Japan, during the height of the Korean War.
While his time in the service allowed him to accomplish things like climbing Mount Fuji on the Japanese island of Honshu, he also faced the impacts of the war during in his work in the hospital.
After two years of service, family ties called him home to Maine. Achorn’s father needed him to work in the family’s sawmill.
“I might’ve stayed, but he wanted me to come back to help him,” Achorn said.
Achorn earned the rank of private first class during his service in Japan.
After returning to his home state, Achorn went on to run his own sawmill, get married, and raise his three sons in Jefferson.
The son of a veteran, Mitkus joined the Air Force at 20 years old and began his service at Kincheloe Base in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he worked as the head of high-value shipments for the supply squadron.
Then, two years into his service, he shipped to Vietnam, where he was stationed in Danang as head of the civil engineers. During the Tet Offensive, the surprise attack launched by the Viet Cong which became one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War, Mitkus served as an augmentee for the security police.
Mitkus remained in Vietnam for a year then went on to serve at Boxdale Airforce Base in Shreveport, La. Over his four years of service, he earned the rank of sergeant.
Mitkus, originally from Brockton, Mass., moved to Maine in the early 1990s with his wife and two sons. The elder son, Joseph, followed his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps and joined the Army, serving for 27 years. The younger son, Jared, is a patrol sergeant for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and accompanied his father as a guardian on the Honor Flight trip.
John Mitkus, who heard about the opportunity to travel to the nation’s capital in recognition of his service through an advertisement, expressed how special it was to share pieces of his time in the military with his son.
“We had a lot of fun, talked, you know, showed him different things,” Mitkus said. “I enjoyed being with him.”
For his part, Achorn was initially reluctant to go on the Honor Flight.
“I just didn’t seem to think I wanted it, just nervous, I guess … I had an awful good time though,” he said.
Achorn’s son, Larry, served as his guardian for the trip, an extra boon for Achorn, who appreciated spending the time together.
When they arrived in Baltimore on Oct. 10, each veteran was assigned a seat on one of three large buses. Mitkus got a kick out of the camaraderie he shared with other vets in the back of the bus.
“We had more fun,” he said with a laugh.
Mitkus said everybody on the trip was friendly, adding it was “really, really something” to get to meet other veterans and talk with them.
Achorn also enjoyed being in community with other people who served.
“I made a lot of new friends. I’d probably never be back with them again, but we’re good friends always there,” he shared.
The tour kicked off on Oct. 10, with a visit to Fort McHenry and a meal at Fort Meade served by service members in training. On Oct. 11, the buses drove on to visit eight memorials, including the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam Wall, which Mitkus described as “really something to see.”
The schedule was busy, Achorn said, but he appreciated all they got to visit.
“I really enjoyed it. I never travel much, so it was it was really interesting,” said Achorn.
During their visit to Arlington National Cemetery, Achorn was one of two veterans chosen to present the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He said in the moment, he didn’t fully realize the significance of the honor.
Later he reflected that it was “probably the most important thing I’d ever do.”
Upon their Oct. 12 return to Maine, the veterans had a hero’s welcome. Fire trucks shot arcs of water over them as they got off the plane, and the halls of Bangor International Airport were lined with supporters, including U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who greeted each veteran and thanked them for their service.
Mitkus described being especially struck by the children waving flags who excitedly ran to thank the veterans.
“It was a tearjerker, almost,” he said, reflecting that the experience was “your first thank-you you ever got.”
Back in Waldoboro, Achorn received an additional warm welcome from friends and family gathered at Moody’s Diner. The celebration was a complete surprise to Achorn. What he thought was a last-minute stop for dinner at his favorite place turned out to be crowd of his loved ones waiting to see him,
“I didn’t have any idea,” he said. “That was a good return. I had a lot of family there, my boys and grandchildren.”
Achorn encouraged other veterans who, like him, aren’t eager to take an Honor Flight trip to “think about it twice before you say no,” adding he wished he had gone earlier.
Mitkus also recommended vets give the Honor Flight a chance.
“It was well worth it,” he said. “It’s a trip you’ll appreciate for the rest of your life.”
Beginning with a private effort that resulted in six small planes transporting 12 World War II veterans from Ohio to Washington, D.C. in May 2005, the Honor Flight program now operates 149 hubs in 44 states. Founded in 2014, Honor Flight Maine has transported more than 1,200 veterans to Washington, D.C.
Honor Flights are funded by donations and are provided at no cost to America’s veterans.
For more information or to sign up for a trip, go to honorflightmaine.org.
