Honor Flight Columbus is proud to be flying our 10,000th Veteran to Washington D.C. on October 10, 2024. To commemorate this significant milestone, we will be sharing the inspiring stories of 10 Veterans. Each story we share will represent 1,000 of the 10,000 Veterans we have had the honor of flying. Follow along as we honor, share, and celebrate the heroes of our country.
Stanley Maybruck was born on May 2, 1925. His mother, an immigrant from Poland, married his father a businessman in Ohio, and together they raised the Maybruck family. Once Maybruck was older, he decided to go to school to become a Dentist. He chose to pick up the profession because he was inspired by a favorite uncle who worked as a Dentist. He was attending The Ohio State University in his second quarter when he was drafted.
Maybruck completed his basic training at Camp Berkely in Texas. He was then sent to San Francisco to train as a dental technician for 2-3 months. After he completed his training as a technician, he was sent to Camp Chenango in Pennsylvania. This replacement depo was where he was until he was assigned to be a combat medic in the 4th infantry division. The military wanted combat medics, not dental technicians and Maybruck soon found himself on his way to Europe in the thick of World War II.
By the time Maybruck arrived at the port of embarkation in New York, the United States was planning for the Normandy Invasion. He arrived in England where he took a train to the coast to await orders for the Invasion to begin. After two weeks and completing training with his unit, he began his journey to Omaha Beach. Maybruck was part of the 12th or 13th wave on the beaches of Normandy and as a combat medic assigned to the front lines, he tried to help as many soldiers as he could. One particular soldier was in need and Maybruck made his way to take care of him when he was shot in the back by a sniper. He was taken out of Normandy and to England where he stayed for 5 months undergoing operations and medical care. Though he was ambulatory, his right arm was paralyzed. Finally, he was sent back to the United States to a hospital in Michigan.
Maybruck was discharged Aug 10th, 1945 and taken to a medical unit at Fort Hayes in Columbus, OH. He received care there 3-4 times a week to work on his right arm movement. During this time he attended college and was forced to use his left hand to write which made school tough for the right handed Private First Class Maybruck. He completed nine quarters at OSU when his father encouraged him to change fields and join the family business. Maybruck agreed and he has remained successful in his business ventures to this very day at the age of 99.
The Veteran of the Normandy Invasion and Purple Heart recipient took his Honor Flight May 15, 2022 on Mission 114. He shared that it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of his life. When asked more about his Honor Flight he shared,
“The people were so courteous… I can’t describe how much I enjoyed it and how much I remember. I don’t think a week goes by that I don’t think bout that trip. When you came home, they greet us and it was so exciting. I had tears in my eyes. I never, never had anything happen to me like that.”
Maybruck also shared that the only place he wanted to go in D.C. that he couldn’t during his trip was the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. His mother’s family including his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins were all killed in the Holocaust. Less than 20 years old, Private First Class Stanely Maybruck fought to put an end to the Nazi Regime that killed his family, as a combat medic.
Maybruck confessed that he could not give advice to anybody saying, “I am just one person. I just tell them (the next generation) to be proud of our country and anytime you can be faithful—do something for your country.”
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