Bruce Ratcliff

This is the third installment of a series about the upcoming Honor Flight, transporting about 120 veterans for a one-day tour of memorials in Washington, D. C.

Honor Flights have been flown for two decades, providing a wonderful, insightful service to veterans who have served during the World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War eras.

This month’s flight includes three Webster City veterans.

Last week’s article profiled two: Don Williams and Michael Eckers. The fourth article will be printed shortly after the flight, scheduled for September 18.

Bruce Ratcliff was born in November of 1950 and lived on a farm east of Eagle Grove, the youngest of five children, two boys and three girls. He graduated from high school in 1969, applying for the National Guard shortly thereafter. Bruce was accepted into the Army National Guard a day before his pre-induction physical for the draft in January of 1970, eventually retiring from the Guard in 2014.

On retirement, he was an armament platoon sergeant.

During his career, he filled many positions in a maintenance company, having originally been trained as a machinist while attending school at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. He became a technical inspector, determining both the need for repair and the quality of the work at completion.

In 1991, his unit was assigned to repairing and upgrading vehicles assigned to Army units deployed in Europe. This work took him to Germany for three tours of duty.

He also worked at the United States equivalent installation, which happened to be at Camp Dodge in Des Moines.

He moved to Webster City in 1973. His first wife passed in January of 2017; she and Bruce raised two children. In 2022, he and Barb married; Barb taught school for 35 years and lost her first husband the same month as Bruce lost his wife.

Bruce says Barb is the perfect wife for him as she taught special education for 35 years to prepare for him.

The second veteran that was to be profiled in this week’s article has had to postpone his participation in the Honor Flight until May of 2025 when the next event is scheduled.

A week ago, a dinner was held for Honor Flight participants, hosted by Brushy Creek, at the Webster County Fairgrounds in Fort Dodge. More than 400 people were served a nice meal, followed by important instructions for the upcoming Honor Flight on September 18. It will prove to be a full day as the flight from Fort Dodge departs at “oh-dark-thirty” as we veterans used to call it. The flight, two meals and stopping to view some eight military memorials will be enough to bring us to an 8 p.m. departure back to Fort Dodge and arrival around 9:30 p.m.

A special event will also be held during the day. Charles Walker and Russ Naden, both Webster City residents, will be honored by being selected to place a memorial wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery during our visit there.

Charles and Russ are part of the original team that began Brushy Creek Honor Flights back in 2009. It’s going to be quite a day for Iowa and Hamilton County in particular!

Michael Eckers is a service veteran and columnist from Webster City. He writes the weekly Our Neighborhood.