Honor Flight: 22-year Navy vet served his country, rode a unicycle, and entertained kids
WASHINGTON D.C. — The South Willamette Valley Honor Flight has landed in Washington DC ahead of a busy weekend, and we’re along for the ride.
It’s always special on these Honor Flights to see the collection of personalities - all soldiers - serving their country. But of course, each person on this flight is unique - with a unique story of service.
Mike Swangel is a longtime Navy veteran, with 22 years of service to his country.
“I actually joined because my draft number at the time was 29 and I didn't want to go Army, so I joined,” Swangel told us.
But it became more than just a military job.
“I wasn't the typical sailor pulling into port and seeing the bars. I'd ride my unicycle out into town,” he recalled. “I couldn't speak the language, but everybody was in awe of the unicycle.”
Swangel learned to ride a unicycle in junior high, entertaining his younger siblings along the way.
“I enjoy kids, and so I always wanted to do that.”
He spent years going to different countries and finding ways to entertain kids.
“My biggest memories is my clowning. I got into clowning with my unicycle and the best memory is: one of the ships I was on, I had two days R&R. I spent it at one of the hotels in Hong Kong, and they had a public relations office in the hotel, and I wanted to entertain some kids, and so I contacted this public relations. I said, 'I have a unicycle. I'd like to entertain some kids. Can you set anything up for me?'”
They found a clown outfit, clown makeup, and 100 kids at an orphanage for this US Navy soldier to make laugh.
“I just had a ball. It was so much fun.”
He served his country for more than two decades.
“I enjoyed what I did, and I was proud of what I was doing.”
But his service went deeper.
“To me, that type of attitude I'm hoping would relay to these people and anybody else that I came in contact with that, hopefully, it would help society out, I guess. That's the way I always looked at it. Just stay positive.”
It’s Chief Petty Officer Mike Swangel.
It’s Leo the Clown.
And It’s his time to be honored.
Swangel said he’s anxious to see the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery.
He said as he gets older, he gets more sensitive, and the tears might make an appearance this weekend.
