Dr. Frederick Mickler and his daughter, Beverly Brown, returned from Washington, D.C., tired and smiling. Photo Credit: Karla Brandt

                Dr. Frederick Mickler of Dowling Park recently journeyed to Washington, D.C. in honor of his service in World War II. His daughter, Beverly Brown of Tallahassee, accompanied him along with 79 other veterans from the Tallahassee region and their guardians on May 11. They were a part of a program called Honor Flight, and were on the first ever to be taken from Tallahassee.

Honor Flight is a nationwide non-profit group that takes veterans to see the monuments in Washington, D.C., such as the World War II and Iwo Jima war memorials and Arlington National Cemetery. Veterans travel free of charge, accompanied by their guardians, paramedics, and supporters.

                Mickler’s journey began when his son and daughter noticed an advertisement for the Honor Flight program in a Tallahassee newspaper about a month ago. They signed him up for the wait list, and because Honor Flight gives priority to WWII veterans, Mickler was quickly chosen for the program. His daughter, Beverly Brown, was selected to go as his guardian for the trip.

                They traveled by air from Tallahassee to Baltimore, and then took busses to Washington, D.C.

               “They made us feel really special,” Mickler said. “We had police escorts with the buses. And if you didn’t feel like walking when you got there, they had 79 wheelchairs ready for all 79 of us. It was very nice.”

                This was not Mickler’s first trip to Washington; he had previously visited in 1939 as a Boy Scout, and again in 1949 to visit his ailing brother. However, this was the first time he had taken in the sights and enjoyed the monuments. The Iwo Jima memorial and the White House were some of his favorites to visit, as well as the Arlington National Cemetery.

                “The national cemetery was impressive,” he said. “The Changing of the Guard was very moving.”

                Dr. Mickler, a Madison native who is now 89 years old, served in the U.S. Air Force in Okinawa and Korea. He attended Vanderbilt University for one year before beginning his military career on July 9, 1943 at the age of 19. He served in the 529th Bomb Squadron as a bombardier pilot, clocking 400 hours flying a B-24 plane.

                “I never flew on a combat mission, so I’m not a war hero,” Mickler humbly claimed. “I’m still proud of what we did, though.”

                Mickler was stationed in the Pacific region with his base in Okinawa, Japan for the majority of the next three years. He recalled a brief three day stay in the Phillippines where it rained constantly and eight men were stuffed into one tent, eating nothing but pineapples. “That’s probably why I don’t like pineapples,” he laughed.

                Mickler was onboard a naval ship for 36 days throughout the summer of 1945, a time during which both atomic bombs were dropped on Japan and the Japanese surrendered, effectively ending World War II.

                After that, his squadron was dissolved and he was transferred to Korea for several months before his discharge on July 10, 1946. He ended his service with the rank of first lieutenant.

                “They offered me a captain position if I re-enlisted,” Mickler said. “I thought about it for a minute, but I was ready to go home and get married; I was in love.”

                Mickler met his wife of 62 years, Beverly Patterson, while on leave. An Army friend of his, Jim Sledge of Monticello, recommended that he meet the Patterson sisters of Monticello when he returned home. He took Sledge up on his suggestion and paid the Patterson house a visit, where Sledge’s sister introduced him to Beverly, the youngest sister. Mickler went on two dates with Patterson during his leave, and when his next leave came around he spent every day of his two weeks with her.

                “On our second date we danced to ‘I Don’t Wanna Set the World on Fire.’ The lyrics go, ‘I just want to start a fire in your heart.’ I was in love at that point,” Mickler recalled. “I wrote her almost every day after I left, and she wrote me when she could.” Dr. Mickler has kept the 255 letters that he wrote to her, and the 51 that she wrote to him.

                They were wed on June 20, 1947, and have six children, five sons and one daughter. Beverly passed away on Sept. 26, 2009 after a battle with alzheimer’s that placed her in a nursing facility.

                “For years it had just been me and her. After the kids were taken care of and then when they moved out, it was just me and her. She never forgot me,” Mickler said. “She never forgot my name.”

                After his military service, Mickler practiced medicine in and around Jasper for 48 years, during which time he delivered 989 babies. He retired six years ago, coming to reside in Dowling Park. In his retirement, he’s enjoyed playing bridge and golf, and is the local checker champion of the Advent Christian Village.

                Mickler’s military past came full circle as he took part of the Honor Flight that brought him to our nation’s capital. “There were two more veterans scheduled to go with us, but they passed away before the flight. I think that’s why it’s important for something like this program to exist. There are so few WWII veterans left, and I was glad to be able to see everything,” he said.

                For more information about the Honor Flight program, call (850) 606-2100 or go to http://honorflighttallahassee.org.