Morris veteran wants to inspire patriotism in next generation

On Memorial Day, James McElroy, 83, of Morris plans to participate in Taps Across America again this year.

Taps Across America is an opportunity for all musicians of any age or ability to honor the sounding of live taps in recognition of the sacrifice of those veterans who have passed in service to their country, according to the Taps Across America website.

The musicians play taps at 3 p.m. Memorial Day, which is the National Moment of Remembrance. McElroy also proudly hangs a lighted flag outside his home and often serves as an election judge.

“I’m proud of my service,” said McElroy, a Navy veteran.

But McElroy also wants to inform and inspire the up-and-coming generations and has started with his own family.

That’s why McElroy took them to New York from March 24 to March 28. And it’s also why McElroy participated in Honor Flight Chicago on April 10.

In New York, McElroy wanted his family to see the Intrepid Museum and the ship on which McElroy served during his time in the Navy.

“When I was on it, that was only 15 years after the end of the second world war,” McElroy said. “It was still an active-duty ship.”

Sometimes, seeing helps others believe more than telling stories, McElroy said.

“It’s something that’s part of my life,” McElroy said. “And I wanted my family to know about those eight years of my life.”

Still, McElroy said it’s important to preserve stories, too. That’s why he wanted to be interviewed for the museum’s oral history project, he said.

“It’s a part of history, and history is something warped when people try to figure out what happened, when it happened, why it happened and how it happened,” McElroy said. “And it’s just something that, I think, is important just for the idea that it’s part of history.”

McElroy said he actually served in the Navy as a musician – he plays the bugle and trumpet – and “wouldn’t trade those eight years for anything.”

From high school band to Navy band

As a child, McElroy lived in Joliet and had participated in the music programs in Joliet Public Schools District 86 and Joliet Township High School District 204. McElroy said he was 6 years old when he stared playing both the trumpet and accordion, eventually letting the accordion go, according to a 2022 Herald-News story.

[ To James McElroy of Morris, every day is Flag Day ]

McElroy said he joined the Navy because he “wanted to see the world.”

“When I graduated, my parents and I went on a vacation,” McElroy said. “And as soon as I got back, I enlisted and went to boot camp. But I had to pass an audition before I was sworn in.”

McElroy said he spent most of his time on Navy bases mostly in the Mediterranean and was part of the Intrepid Memorial Band. The band played many “goodwill concerts” in places such as orphanages in the areas’ small towns.

“The musicians were kind of looked down on because we had so much free time when the other crew members were working when it was time for chores,” McElroy said. “But they didn’t realize that we were working when they were enjoying themselves.”

It’s something that’s part of my life. And I wanted my family to know about those eight years of my life.”

—  James McElroy, 83, of Morris, Navy veteran

At the time, the Navy had unit bands, which typically were centered on the admirals of different fleets, McElroy previously said. During his service, McElroy was on three aircraft carriers and three guided missile cruisers in Europe and was stationed at Villefranche-sur-Mer in France, he said.

When he left the Navy, McElroy joined the Navy Musicians Association, which connects past and present Navy musicians and hosts an annual reunion, he said. He also gave private music lessons.

“But then, after I had children, when I’d practice the dog would bark and the kids would cry,” McElroy previously said. “So I decided it was time to hang it up.”

Why Honor Flights matter

McElroy applied for Honor Flight Chicago in 2020 and went on the first available flight, which was April 10.

Honor Flight Chicago, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, “recognizes the bravery, determination and patriotism” of U.S. senior war veterans with a one-of-a-kind, one-day journey to Washington, D.C., according to the group’s website.

McElroy said the Honor Flights are especially valuable for Vietnam-era veterans.

“They always felt that they were not appreciated, even way back then,” McElroy said.

The crowds that welcome veterans when they return from their Honor Flight helps to compensate for that lack of appreciation, McElroy said.

“It’s just the way they tell the veterans they are really ‘welcomed home,’” McElroy said. “They kept saying, ‘Welcome home.’”

McElroy said he was at a Chicago airport by 4 a.m., and the flight left at 6:30 a.m., which was “extremely early in the morning, especially for old gentlemen.”

When the veterans arrived at the airport, they were greeted by first responders, and each veteran was issued a guardian who stayed with the veteran during the entire trip.

Three nurses accompanied the 116 veterans, and the oldest veteran was 99, McElroy said. The veterans spent the day visiting memorials and returned to Chicago at 8:30 p.m. with many, many volunteers – as well as McElroy’s wife, Margaret, and their grandchildren – welcoming them home, he said.

“So, it was a full day,” McElroy said.

Going forward, McElroy wants to use his trumpet and bugle-playing skills as part of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Squad at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood.

“I have a friend out there,” McElroy said. “And my daughter-in-law’s father is buried there. The last Memorial Day, I went and played taps at the gravesite of my daughter-in-law’s father. And I kind of flubbed it a bit. It was emotional for me.”