Jonathan Lucroy (right) greets World War II veteran Bill Johnston and his grandson Chad Johnston before Saturday’s Honor Flight. The Brewers catcher was among volunteers traveling with 41 World War II and 47 Korean War veterans to Washington, D.C. Credit: John Klein / for the Journal Sentinel

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At the start of an already exciting day, long before the sun had even risen, World War II veteran Bill Johnston got a real thrill when he saw one of the volunteers traveling on the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight on Saturday morning.

"He's my favorite catcher. He's my favorite Brewer," Johnston, 88, of West Allis, said after his grandson snapped his picture with Jonathan Lucroy. "He's the only catcher to get two hits in the All-Star Game."

The Brewers' all-star catcher was among the dozens of volunteers traveling with 41 World War II and 47 Korean War veterans from Milwaukee to Washington, D.C., for a day of sightseeing. Accompanying Lucroy was his college roommate, who was awarded a Purple Heart after being wounded in Afghanistan in 2011.

Clad in a red Stars and Stripes Honor Flight polo shirt, Lucroy posed for pictures, signed autographs and shook the hands of heroes.

"The thing about World War II and Korean War veterans, they're getting up in age and they won't be around for much longer. Any time I can spend with them I will treasure for the rest of my life," Lucroy said.

Lucroy watched Eugene "Lefty" Ferry, 91, of Mequon receive medals he lost after serving as a B-17 ball turret gunner in Europe. Honor Flight officials arranged to get replacement medals, which were awarded to Ferry in a poignant ceremony before the flight left early Saturday.

Johnston was sent to the South Pacific late in the war, serving in the Philippines and Leyte. His 18-year-old grandson recently joined the Army with plans to become a paratrooper just like his grandpa.

For Johnston, as well as thousands of other U.S. service members, President Harry S. Truman's decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki had a profound effect on his life.

"We were scheduled to jump in Japan but they dropped the bomb. We were pretty happy about that," Johnston said.

The Honor Flight program provides free one-day trips for veterans to Washington to visit monuments and memorials. There are 123 Honor Flight hubs throughout the United States, including several in Wisconsin.

Many veterans wore hats emblazoned with their military unit or branch and some wore original uniform caps. Robert Roeglin, 83, of Greenfield wore a plastic badge with a black and white photo of himself at 19, grinning in his new Army 1st Cavalry uniform.

A handful of veterans on the trip were women, including Anna Mae Robertson, 90, of Milwaukee who served in the Women's Army Corps 6888 Central Postal Directory, the only all-female battalion deployed overseas during World War II and the first female African-American battalion in the Army.

Green Bay native Rita Seago, 91, was recruited to join the Navy by her father and was stationed in Washington, D.C., where she worked in coding and encryption.

During the flight, Lucroy interviewed veterans about their experiences for a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel half-hour documentary.

Lucroy has visited VA hospitals, helped raise funds for Milwaukee's Fisher House and brings veterans to Miller Park for Brewers games. His roommate during his freshman year at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette was senior centerfielder John Coker Jr., who was drafted by the San Diego Padres out of high school.

Coker was seriously injured in September 2011 when his nine-person sniper team was ambushed in Afghanistan. Three team members were killed and Coker and a buddy were severely wounded in the deadliest day for the Oklahoma National Guard since the Korean War.

Coker, who was known for his speed in the outfield, now has difficulty walking because one leg is paralyzed from the knee down. He suffers from arthritis and fibromyalgia as well as PTSD. After earning a degree in sports medicine, Coker is in a pre-pharmacy program with the hope of enrolling at the University of Oklahoma.

Shortly after the ambush in Afghanistan, Lucroy got a text with the news about his friend and later talked to Coker while he was recuperating at the military hospital in San Antonio. Last year, Lucroy and his wife arranged for Coker and his wife to travel to Milwaukee and attend a Brewers game.

On Saturday, Coker joined his college roommate to honor warriors from a different era.

"I have a lot of respect for these guys. They set the foundation and standards for what we're still doing in the military," said Coker, whose grandfather served in Vietnam.

For more information about Honor Flights or to sign up a veteran to go on a flight, visit starsandstripeshonorflight.org.