It was a trip that was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was definitely one worth taking.
Lisbon’s James Taylor was able to take part in the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight from Cedar Rapids to Washington, D.C.
Taylor said he was one of the oldest veterans on this particular Honor Flight.
“I enjoyed the whole experience,” Taylor said.
As the oldest and one of the only World War II veterans on the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight, Taylor got a chance to lay a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
Taylor said that he had visited Washington, D.C., numerous times in the 1950s, but the town has definitely changed in the 70 years since he last visited.
For Taylor and his grandson, Lyndon Dudley, who served as a chaperone for Taylor on the flight, one of the favorite memories was the return from visiting all the memorials to Cedar Rapids International Airport at 10:30 p.m.
“We were greeted by a band playing as we got off the plane, and were met with so many well wishers,” Dudley said. “We couldn’t go more than a few feet before someone else stopped us and thanked grandpa for his service.”
Taylor knew when he enlisted exactly what branch of service he wanted to go into – The United States Navy.
He completed his basic training in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and then completed advanced training on how to be a fire controlman. A fire controlman was responsible for maintaining the combat weapons and targeting of those guns.
Taylor served aboard the USS Witchita (CA-45) in 1945.
Taylor’s service in World War II came at roughly the point when a lot of the conflicts in the area had ended. He was with the Witchita in Okinawa, where the ship called port after the United States captured the port as a base in early 1945.
“The war was all but over by the time I enlisted,” Taylor said.
Taylor was among the crew of the United States Navy who was on board the Witchita when it visited Nagasaki months after the atomic bomb was dropped. The Witchita remained in port in Nagasaki for a few weeks to make sure Japan was following the terms of surrender, and then was transferred to Sasebo.
The Witchita became one of the ships that was responsible for repatriating American military personnel in the Pacific theater of war back to the United States.
Taylor’s service in the United States Navy came to an end in 1946.
Taylor re-enlisted in the United States Navy from 1950 to 1951 to serve in the Korean War.
During that time of service, Taylor served aboard the USS Conway (DDE-507)
The ship had been converted to an escort destroyer following its service in World War II.
The ship was based in Sasebo during the time Taylor was onboard.
Taylor’s role aboard the Conway was radar operation during that time period, learning to read and detect vessels.
The Conway participated in hunter-killer exercises off of Okinawa and escorted convoys from Shangtung to Manchuria. The ship also participated in bombardments at Kolgochi-Ri, Hodo Pndo, Hungnam and Wonsan and patrolled in those areas. At the end of 1951, the ship returned to Norfolk, Va., in Dec. 20, 1951.
Taylor returned home to the Maquoketa area, where he joined with his father in working in the radio shop for repairs for a number of years.
Taylor also helped with tractor repairs for Bradbury tractors beginning in 1958. When farming slowed down in 1963, Taylor started work at Gauss Radio, which was eventually purchased by Rockwell Collins. Taylor officially retired from Rockwelll Collins in 1992.
Taylor met his wife, Ila, at a horse show. The couple were married in 1957, and have been married for more than 54 years now. The couple raised two children, and now have five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. The couple moved to a house in Lisbon in 1959 and have lived there ever since.
Taylor was an avid bowler for a number of years as well.
Lyndon Dudley and his grandfather, James Taylor, at the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. Taylor is a World War II veteran taking part in the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight.