Memorial Day — Not Thankful Enough
I had to go to show my respect. I felt compelled to watch the motorcade escort this warrior to his true and final resting place.
Glenn Herbert Hodak, U.S. Army Air Forces corporal of Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, came home this week. As the motorcade passed by me, I was filled with both emotion and overwhelming gratitude. My dad, a Seabee Construction Battalion Navy man, served in Guam in WWII, as did Hodak. My dad came back home to his family; Corporal Hodak had not, until now.
Hodak’s military service exemplifies the sacrifice experienced in the horrific happenings of war.
Some Gave All
Glenn Hodak served in the 93rd Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, which flew out of North Field Air Base in Guam (now known as Anderson Air Force Base). On March 10, 1945, he served as a tailgunner on board a B-29 Super-Fortress nicknamed “Tall in the Saddle.” The bomber was shot down on that mission over Tokyo. He was reported as missing in action. It was later learned that three out of the 12 crew members survived the crash and were initially engaged by villagers in Ina, Japan.
The villagers, including children, had trained with bamboo spears to kill U.S. soldiers. It has been documented that the villagers were keenly aware of the destruction, devastation, and casualties that these bombers were inflicting on the Japanese people. And yet, it has been shown that even with this awareness, they took the three survivors to a shelter and cared for their wounds. They buried the nine airmen of the crew and secretly placed wooden crosses over each grave, although none of the villagers were Christian. The three survivors were then captured and tortured by enemy officers, and imprisoned at the Tokyo Military Prison as POWs.
One of the largest U.S. military air raids of WWII was launched on the night of May 25-26, 1945, setting flight to approximately 300 B-29s. These air strikes leveled the military prison. Friendly fire killed all the American POWs, and their remains were not identified or recovered at that time.
Coming Home
The American Graves Registration Service and the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps searched for and disinterred the remains of 65 POWs. Several attempts were made to reveal their identities back in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Utilizing new technology by the Army’s Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operation, Cpl. Hodak’s remains were identified in September 2024 and returned to his hometown this month. A U.S. military funeral detail provided full honors for Cpl. Hodak at his interment.
Cpl. Hodak died on May 26,1945, exactly 80 years ago today.
How will you observe Memorial Day this year? Will it be just another holiday barbecue and a day off from work, or will you pause to truly remember Cpl. Hodak’s sacrifice and the many others who have paid the utmost price with life and limb?
The nation should be incredibly indebted to all those who have gone before us or who are currently serving in the armed forces. They have heeded the call to protect and defend our constitutional democracy, our way of life, and our freedoms.
Welcome home, Corporal Glenn Herbert Hodak. The long journey is finished.
It is not enough, but we say thank you for surrendering it all, for all of us.
Dr. Jim Thrasher is the senior advisor to the vice president for student recruitment at Grove City College and the coordinator of the Institute for Faith & Freedom’s working group on calling.