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Episode #687 of Hometown Heroes, airing June 26 – July 1, 2021, recorded at the National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs, CO, sheds light on the museum and other efforts to honor veterans in southern Colorado. You’ll also be introduced to 98-year-old Marilyn “Betty” Doenges, who served in the Army Nurse Corps during World War II.

This episode begins with an overview of the museum and comments about its importance from Bill Roche, who related memories of his 33-year Air Force career on episode #686 of Hometown Heroes. You’ll also hear from Mark Schaefer, a volunteer with Honor Flight of Southern Colorado, who frequently brings World War II veterans to the museum, and has some unique contributions to the museum store. Schaefer’s travels have taken him to the scene of many World War II invasions, and he has brought back sand from those beaches. Vials of sand from those historic locations are sold to help support the museum.

“I have an obligation to the soldier who didn’t come home,” you’ll hear Schaefer say. “To honor the veteran who did.”

He believes that so sincerely that he printed those words on shirts that are also available at the museum. They can also be ordered at (719)205-0003. Many airworthy World War II aircraft are on display, including the P-38 Lightning, P-47 Thunderbolt, F4U Corsair, and SBD Dauntless. You’ll find a display honoring USS Arizona survivor Don Stratton, who spent his final years in Colorado Springs, and shared his memories on episode #457 of Hometown Heroes in 2017.

Another installation recognizes the unique contributions of “The Flying Greek,” legendary pilot Steve Pisanos, who related some of his aerial adventures on episode #407 of Hometown Heroes in 2016. You’ll hear a brief excerpt from that interview on this episode, detailing how he escaped his crippled P-51 on a day the double ace had shot down three enemy fighters.

“I decided not to bail out at high altitude,” Pisanos said. “Because the Germans were really shooting at anybody coming down in a parachute.”

As the Mustang got closer and closer to the ground, Steve inched his way out onto the wing. When the other wing struck the ground, he was catapulted into the air, barely avoiding the propeller as he careened to the ground. The injured pilot managed to evade capture for five days before connecting with the French Underground, which reunited him with Allied forces.

The bulk of this episode, however, features the memories of Marilyn “Betty” Doenges, a member of the Colorado Nurses Associations Hall of Fame. Doenges, who grew up in Missouri and Colorado, dreamed as a child of becoming a nurse, and was able to realize those dreams during World War II. You’ll hear her remember treating veterans who had been wounded during the Battle of the Bulge when she was stationed at Ashford General Hospital in White Sulphur Springs, WV.

“I remember at night, I would be at the desk doing paperwork,” she recalls. “They would come up and sit, and talk to me about their experiences.”

Her experience in lending a listening ear to those wounded veterans’ gut-wrenching memories would inspire Betty to focus on mental and emotional scars as much as physical wounds. Decades later, she founded Colorado Springs’ first psychiatric nurse private practice in psychotherapy. Doenges would end up serving overseas as well, spending nine months in the European Theater. The first news she received upon arriving in Scotland was that Germany had surrendered. You’ll hear her explain how, in between caring for more injured servicemen at the 227th General Hospital in France, she enjoyed several sightseeing excursions with her roommate, Barbara. Listen to Hometown Heroes to find out how they managed to score a flight in a B-17 Flying Fortress, and how they happened to meet Pope Pius XII at the Vatican. Memories of those European adventures remain vivid for Doenges, who more recently had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. with Honor Flight of Southern Colorado.

“It was wonderful, because I hadn’t seen any of those things,” you’ll hear her say of the chance to visit the National World War II Memorial and other sites. “The one I really liked was the nurses’ one.”

Betty’s connection to the world of nursing has never dissipated. Eventually, she would craft a successful curriculum series to educate the nurses of today and tomorrow. In the video below, she shares some very simple but important advice for aspiring nurses:

—Paul Loeffler