‘I feel like his spirit is here’: Guardian honors late veteran on 29th UP Honor Flight
Michelle Vallier Labadie holds a framed photo of Army veteran Dennis Ketcham while at the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial as part of the 29th Upper Peninsula Honor Flight in Washington, D.C. (Sophie Vogelmann | Daily Press)
A framed photo of the late Dennis Kethcam sits propped up against the steps of the US Navy Memorial Plaza in Washington, D.C. (Sophie Vogelmann | Daily Press)
Michelle Vallier Labadie holds a framed photo of Army veteran Dennis Ketcham while at the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial as part of the 29th Upper Peninsula Honor Flight in Washington, D.C. (Sophie Vogelmann | Daily Press)
A framed photo of the late Dennis Kethcam sits propped up against the steps of the US Navy Memorial Plaza in Washington, D.C. (Sophie Vogelmann | Daily Press)
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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- While a veteran who was set to travel on the Upper Peninsula Honor Flight Mission XXIX didn't get the chance, one guardian made sure his story was told.
Michelle Labadie joined this year's UP Honor Flight as a guardian, more specifically as what the organization refers to as a "free agent," someone who volunteers to accompany a veteran who doesn't have a designated family member as their guardian.
Labadie said she got the unique call inviting her to join Mission XXIX shortly before the trip. According to Labadie, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War named Dennis Leon Ketcham, of Gladstone, was set to travel with the group on Sept. 9, but he reportedly died of cancer at the age of 72 on Sept. 1 -- eight days before the trip.
"The Honor Flight people wanted to still be able to celebrate him or do a memorial for him," Labadie said. "I had signed up to be a guardian, but there wasn’t really anybody left that they needed a guardian for, so they called me and said, 'Would you be willing to do this?' And I’m like, 'Absolutely, I would do this.'"
Labadie said she found out the name of the veteran she would be honoring just days before the trip, and she was tasked with carrying Ketcham's framed photo around Washington D.C. to honor his legacy. She also said she felt an immediate connection to the late veteran.
Little did Labadie know, she had a closer tie to Ketcham than she thought.
"I feel like I just had a connection to this guy, right? Which is just wild, it's divine intervention and all of that. But come to find out, he’s my best friend’s uncle."
Two high school classmates that Labadie grew up with in Engadine are reportedly the niece and nephew to Ketcham.
"The fact that I’m standing here right now with his picture is wild," Labadie added. 'I just feel like it’s just an enormous honor, and I feel like he’s following me around. I feel like his spirit is here, and this is what he wanted so badly to experience himself. But I also believe he would love for other vets to experience this. This is the homecoming they deserved to have when they were in the military."
This is Labadie's first trip on the UP Honor Flight as a guardian. While she had been asked to accompany the group before, she said work conflicts prevented her from attending then, but she finally got the chance this fall.
Labadie also has a personal family connection to a veteran with their own story to tell.
"It's incredible just to be here, to be able to be a part of this. I wish I could have come with my (late) grandpa -- he was a World War II vet," Labadie said. "He had shrapnel in his back. He jumped into the Battle of the Bulge, and I think he’s one of the only ones that survived it. After he got out of the hospital, he ended up being Eisenhower's guard."
Many veterans and guardians alike were interested in Labadie and Ketcham's story as soon as they saw his framed photo on the flight. While Ketcham didn't make it to the trip, Labadie made sure his story and memory were honored.
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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.