Brothers take Honor Flights

Updated: August 27, 2012 10:43AM

NORRIDGE — When war waged overseas back in the 1940s, two young brothers from Chicago answered the call of duty.

Several decades later, the shared experience of serving in the U.S. Navy has brought them another similarity.

Emanuel “Mun” Petrakis, 87, of Elmwood Park, and Myron Petrakis, 90, of Norridge, recently flew to Washington, D.C. with Honor Flight Chicago on a one-day, all-expenses paid excursion to tour the capital’s monuments and museums as a “thank you” for their sacrifices.

Mun went April 25 and Myron participated on July 11, each accompanied by their sons. Both trips concluded with a massive celebration at Midway Airport featuring active duty military personnel, color guard, motorcycle clubs, live bands, and – of course – friends, families and well-wishing fans.

Mun said a young sailor at the celebration reminded him of himself.

“We didn’t realize how young we were getting in,” he said.

Mun was drafted into the Navy in 1942. Story has it he followed a sign in a county building that read “Win Your Wings of Gold” to later become part of a small number of naval aviation pilots from Illinois. He spent most of his time as a flight instructor in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Meanwhile, Myron’s service was deferred four times over two years so that he could do machinery work before he was drafted by the Navy in 1944.

Having two young men in the military was hard on the Petrakis family, especially their mother, they said.

“She was afraid like any other mother,” said Myron, adding that he still carried with him a religious card she gave when he enrolled.

Eventually, after five years in the reserves, Mun was discharged following an accident that left him blind in the right eye.

Myron was sent to coasts of Korea and Japan and assigned to Minesweeper AM-372. Though he returned home safely and without injury, he knows he was one of the fortunate ones.

A ship deployed one month before his, AM-371, had hit a mine and sunk in December 1945, killing 30 men. Becoming quiet, Myron said a friend on board was never found.

“We’ll leave it at that,” he said.

Myron’s trip came with a special mission: to bring home name rubbings from ‘The Wall’ of five soldiers from Norridge who were killed in the Vietnam War.

“Those of us who survived the war are obligated to look out for those who come home with broken bodies and troubled minds,” Myron said. “We are also dedicated to remembering and honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice.”

Following their special trips, the brothers exchanged, for the first time, stories from their time in the service.

Mun described his flight as “overpowering.”

“For one day you could talk about it for the next five years,” Mun said.

Placing his hand on that of his younger brother, Myron told him: “We’ve come a long way, Mun.”

Honor Flight Chicago is a nonprofit that aims to recognize servicemen and women – especially those who served in World War II – with a day of honor, remembrance and celebration. The average age of the 1,000 veterans on the waiting list is 88. For more information see www.honorflightchicago.org or call (773) 227-VETS (8387).

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