Tucker mastered Army tank

DANVILLE — A special treat recently came the way of Robert Tucker on his 85th birthday. The World War II veteran from Danville was able to attend the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., on Oct. 1, after initially being told that trip was booked full.

“I can’t say enough good about the Honor Flight. That was something else,” said Tucker in showing off the items gathered from his trip, including a book, a DVD, pins and a cap. He had previously made just one trip to Washington when his brother was a senior in high school and had never seen any of the memorials until this trip. “We have a spot for you,” he was told after there was a cancellation for the trip. “They told me they would do anything to get me on that trip since it was my birthday,” said Tucker. “And they did.”

Tucker grew up on a farm between Danville and Millwood, graduating from Howard High School in 1944. He had five brothers and sisters, with the oldest sister attending school at Danville and the rest at Howard. He worked as a clerk at Millwood General Store before being drafted into the U.S. Army in October 1944.

“They offered me the Navy and I told them ‘no,’” said Tucker, since the Army was his preference. A total of 37 boys were drafted on the same day and gathered at the Vernon Theater. “I knew 12 of us there,” he said. “And today, two of us are living.”