A local veteran who served right at the end of the Vietnam War era was recently honored alongside fellow veterans from around the state through a Land of Lincoln Honor Flight.

James Gummersheimer has long called Monroe County home, having grown up on a farm outside Columbia.

He graduated from Columbia High School and jumped straight into service. He wound up marrying a girl he knew from high school, had two children and, for a time after his military service, worked at Union Electric, now known as Ameren.

Gummersheimer had some military aspirations leading up to his graduation, with hopes of attending the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

He brought this up to his counselor at school who reached out for an appointment, though none were available.

His counselor recommended that he attend Belleville Area College for a year and then look into another appointment.

Gummersheimer’s interest in military service was strong, however, and he instead joined the Army.

After his induction, his basic training took place at Fort Ord, Calif., and he was then stationed at Fort Riley, where his commendable math scores set him up as an artillery surveyman.

Prior to his service, Gummersheimer had also attended a computer school where he learned several coding languages, and he was subsequently moved to a computer programming role – though he had to work his way up to actually do any programming.

After some time in this role, Gummersheimer requested a compassionate reassignment to the St. Louis area so he could help out on the farm as he heard that his father was having troubles with his leg.

This request was denied in favor of a hardship discharge, and though he previously had every intention of serving as a “lifer,” Gummersheimer accepted the discharge after careful consideration.

“They said I could have a hardship discharge, and that’s not really what I wanted to do,” Gummersheimer said. “I wanted to stay in the service, but that way I could get back to the farm and help dad.”

He noted that it seemed as though the military seemed interested in discharging people early as, by this point, the Vietnam War was winding down.

Gummersheimer was nevertheless able to attend college thanks to his time in the Army.

Regarding his interest in the military, he noted that the only veteran in the family was his uncle who was drafted during World War II.

Gummersheimer explained he didn’t really have any particular reason for wanting to enter the service. He just felt drawn to it.

“I just wanted to go into service,” Gummersheimer said. “I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s just something that I wanted to do.”

Gummersheimer joined 82 other Vietnam-era veterans, 13 Korean-era veterans as well as others on the latest Land of Lincoln Honor Flight, a trip to Washington, D.C. which recognizes veterans for their service while providing them the opportunity to see a number of memorials and other sights.

He opened his recounting of the day with high praise for the trip’s organization and planning.

“It was like a well-oiled military operation,” Gummersheimer said. “They had everything all lined up.”

With the flight taking place Aug. 27, he traveled up to Springfield the day before, accompanied by his daughter Marla Rose, who served as his guardian for the day.

The group landed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, having departed exceptionally early in the morning.

Traveling on four buses through the day, the first stop was the World War II Memorial, which Gummersheimer simply described as “unbelievable and impressive.”

The Lincoln Memorial was next, followed by the Vietnam and Korea memorials.

The group also toured the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The Marine Memorial with the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima was also clear in Gummersheimer’s memory.

The part of the D.C. tour that stuck out most to Gummersheimer was undoubtedly the visit to Arlington and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

He noted that the memorial was impressive on its own, but he had a particular reverence for the attending soldiers having gotten the chance to see the changing of the guard in-person.

“It’s totally amazing how they’re so in-tune with one another,” Gummersheimer said. “There’s three of them there at one time, and one’s going in one direction, and the other two are going in the other direction. And when they stop, they all click their heels at the same time. The coordination is unbelievable.”

Another striking aspect of the tour was getting the chance to see each of the memorials and the many names of fallen soldiers at each site, truly quantifying the casualties suffered in military conflicts.

“You hear or you see numbers as far as the dead go, but until you see the names on the wall, that’s when it really sinks in,” Gummersheimer said.

As with any veteran who participates in the Honor Flight program, Gummersheimer also had high praise for the return trip.

Mail call on the flight saw him and his fellow veterans receiving packets full of letters expressing appreciation for their service.

His packet featured letters from a number of children and adults, with additional letters from his daughter and grandchildren.

The heartfelt return continued even after the plane landed, as Gummersheimer recalled how hundreds of people lined the halls at the gate and beyond – notable given the sheer number of people happy to welcome the veterans back home as well as the fact they had all come out for the welcome at around 10:30 p.m.

Like many Vietnam-era veterans, Gummersheimer recalled how unpopular the war was and how poorly its veterans were treated at the time.

This reception at the end of the trip, at least partially, helped make up for that.

“It really felt good to get that welcome back,” Gummersheimer said. “Quite a few years belated, but it was nice to receive that.”

Gummersheimer had additional praise for the Land of Lincoln Honor Flight program, as did his daughter.

With the chance to serve as his guardian on the trip, Rose said she came back with a much greater appreciation for U.S. military veterans.

“Personally, it helped me realize how, I think, underappreciated, under-celebrated our veterans are,” Rose said.

Rose recalled how eye-opening it was for her to be able to hear many of these veterans’ stories, feeling particularly moved as she heard about the sour welcome home many of them received after their service.

Being able to see her father and the other veterans in attendance get a proper welcome home was a tremendous experience for her.

“It just means a lot more to me after seeing and hearing some of their stories,” Rose said. “Just watching them process their emotions at these memorials really humbled me, really brought it home and really has made me want to step up and support our veterans even more than I ever have wanted before.”