A veteran's voice: Aaron Cushman to speak at Veterans Day parade

"You’d make friends with these guys and have fun together. You think it’s not going to happen to you, but it always struck me after a mission, when you see an empty bed and know they’re not coming back.” — Aaron Cushman

Aaron Cushman almost wasn’t in the Army Air Corps.

“I was enlisted, and I had to take a physical, and I thought it was no big deal,” he said. “I was in great shape. I passed everything, but the final test was an eye test because you need good vision to be able to fly.”

Cushman, then 18, flunked the test but was determined to pass.

“I sat in the chapter room of my fraternity house all night practicing the test and eating carrots because my mom always said carrots are good for vision,” Cushman said. “I went back the next day and passed it.”

Cushman, 91, is one of 130 veterans who will walk in the Rotary Club of Longboat Key’s Veterans Day parade Nov. 11.

Last year, he marched with veterans of World War II, Korean War, Cold War and Gulf War eras.

In addition to participating in the parade, Cushman will speak of his experience in the Air Force during the honor program following the parade.

“The greatest generation really was ours,” Cushman said. “I get a strong sense of pride on Veterans Day. I’ve done a lot of things.  It’s been a wonderful life.

Cushman was a sophomore at the University of Illinois when he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942.

“When we were going overseas, I sent a telegram to my folks in code,” Cushman said. “I wasn’t supposed to, but I had to tell them somehow I was going.”

In the middle of 1944 during World War II, he was stationed in Polebrook, England, as an aircraft commander. He had bombing missions in the German cities of Berlin, Nuremberg and Aachen.

“One of the things that always bothered me about the war was empty beds,” he said. “Out of 12 planes that might go on a mission from Polebrook, you’d probably lose one. You’d make friends with these guys and have fun together. You think it’s not going to happen to you, but it always struck me after a mission, when you see an empty bed and know they’re not coming back.”

Cushman was honorably discharged in May 1945. Upon his arrival to the U.S., he signed up to be in the reserve.

When he returned to Illinois, Cushman finished his education at the University of Illinois.

“My mother and father had said to me that they want me to go to college to be a professional man, which meant a lawyer, doctor or CPA,” he said. “Before the war, I was going to be a CPA, but during the war, I realized after all this, how can I go back to numbers?”

Cushman earned his degree in advertising and marketing. He worked for three years with Essaness theaters in Chicago before deciding to start his own public relations firm, Aaron D. Cushman and Associates.

At the time, the company was just him and his wife, Doris.

“The greatest generation really was ours.” — Aaron Cushman

“She was the secretary,” Cushman said. “We had one desk, two chairs and one typewriter.”

In October 1950, Cushman was recalled into service for the Korean War, where he was made a public information officer in El Paso, Texas. His base was required to raise $50,000 for the Air Force Aid Society and held a meeting to discuss how to raise the money.

“It was a very large meeting that went by rank,” Cushman said. “All the way down at the bottom was me. No one knew how to raise $50,000, but after going all around the table, I said, ‘Colonel, I can get you the money. Let me go to Hollywood, and I will bring some stars back and raise you the money.’ Everybody just looked at me like I was crazy.”

No one believed Cushman, but he was sent to Hollywood anyway. His previous work with Essaness and his own company had exposed him to many celebrities, and Cushman was able to bring 36 celebrities, including the Three Stooges and Eddie Bracken, to El Paso. They raised $55,000.

When his 18 months of service ended in March 1952, Cushman moved back to Chicago and continued to expand his company. It eventually became the 10th largest independent agency in the U.S.

His company represented many recognizable names, including the Chicago Bulls, Quaker Oats, Chrysler Corp., Ford Motor Corp., city of Saint Louis, and presidents Harry Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower. It also represented six foreign governments, promoting the countries’ tourism from the U.S.

His favorite brands he represented were the Chicago White Sox and the Marriott Corp.

“We started with the Marriott Corp. when they had three tiny motels in Washington,” Cushman said. “We opened the next 65 for them all over the world. My other favorite was the White Sox. The day I was born, the nurse wrapped me in a blanket with the White Sox logo, and the logo never wore off. I’ve been a fan my whole life.”

Now a Grand Bay resident, Cushman is looking forward to this year’s Veterans Day.

“I hope there will be a good turnout at this year’s parade,” he said. “It’s a wonderful thing to be honored like this.”