After our visit to the National Air and Space Museum by Dulles we headed to the airport.

Wheelchairs and airport employees were in abundant supply to help us with the long trip through the airport to our departure gate. Security was a problem because they sent us all through the same small area. Add to that the difficulty of having these vets remove shoes and do all of the airline security things that are common to us but foreign to them. Many veterans, my father included, were sent over to the side to stand on the footprints and endure a string of commands, procedures, and wand searches that they didn’t understand. Necessary, I suppose, but still very frustrating.

Here a Marine talks to a Pearl Harbor survivor at the gate.

The flight was very smooth. The movie “Memphis Belle” about a WWII bomber crew was shown, but unfortunately the back section of the plane had no working projection so we spent the time dozing or reading the Washington Post.

We landed just past 9:00 and were told to remain seated as they prepared a last surprise for us. It took a long time for the vets and escorts to file off but when they got to the terminal the wait was well worth it. What a reception we had!

My father and I were numbers 427 and 428 of 430 off of the plane. Behind us were Jorgen Booker and his grandfather Vernon Booker, the Navy destroyer veteran. Jorgen honored his grandfather every step of the trip and never left his side. As we came off the jetway and turned to the right we were greeted by a hallway of Honor Flight organizers and volunteers clapping and cheering.

We turned to the left to head towards the escalator and there we found 2 rows of military personnel and color guards to greet us.

The first guy we encountered recited an airborne soldier’s poem to my father. The next guy asked dad if he jumped out of the plane or rode it all the way in.

As I watched them greet my father with “welcome home soldier” the tears streamed down my face. I had to step to the side to get myself together before the escalator ride down to the lobby. I had heard the band and the people down below and I knew dad and I were not going to ride the elevator. We got to the top of the escalator and everyone down below started cheering. The band, the 188th North Dakota National Guard Army Band struck up “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and I stepped in front of dad on the escalator, as always, and down we came. Two Navy men stepped forward to help dad at the bottom and again, he was greeted by the crowd. I am a high school band director and two of the 188th band members were students of mine when they were in high school. What a thrill to have them share this with me.

I’ve known my entire life that my father served in WWII, but I never saw him receive accolades as he did that night. He didn’t talk about what he did and he never sought praise because the vets just don’t do that. The pride that welled up in me as I followed him through the crowd is something I cannot describe and provided me with a memory I will carry with me forever. He told me that more people greeted him that night than when he came home in November of 1945. He said there wasn’t even that many people in all of Lake Williams when he came home.

So many thanks need to go to all of the people responsible for the trip. They did it not to receive notoriety, but to honor these vets and that is exactly what they did. I can’t start naming them because I don’t know all of their names and I would leave some out. Thank you to WDAY for backing the project.

Oh, the caps that I saw worn with pride on this trip. USS Wasp, USS Metivier, Pearl Harbor Survivor, Iwo Jima, Iwo Jima Survivor, Navy, Army Ranger, Air Force, 101st Airborne Division, Marines, Engineers, American Legion caps from so many towns, and many more.

I heard stories about Normandy, Bastogne, sailing the maiden voyage of the Wasp to Pearl Harbor, liberating concentration camps, and hearing of the end of the war while sailing across the Pacific for an invasion of Japan.

I salute all of the vets everywhere, of all wars, and of peacetime service. We owe them a debt we can never repay. We will never forget.

After visiting the WWII Memorial we got a driving tour of downtown DC and saw the White House, Ford’s Theatre, the Capitol Building, IRS, National Archives, Smithsonian, Washington Monument and more.

We took a short driving tour of Arlington National Cemetery and then stopped at the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier. Also in that area are the amphitheatre, the USS Maine Memorial, and the graves of Audie Murphy and Joe Louis. We spent enough time there to see the changing of the guard. Of course, being on such hallowed ground and seeing such a revered ceremony was very moving.

Bob Dole addresses the troops.

Standing on hallowed ground.

The USS Maine Memorial.

The amphitheatre

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the changing of the guard.

Dad and me at the Iwo Jima Memorial. If you want to learn about the battle for Iwo Jima and the men immortalized in the famous photo of the second flag raising, I highly recommend you read Flags of Our Fathers, written by James Bradley, the son of one of  the flag raisers.

Mr. and Mrs. John Abel. A Navy man, he became a minister and he and his wife spent 40 years starting schools and churches in Brazil. He gave the invocation and blessing at the banquet.

Paul Ceynowa, a native of Perham, MN. A Marine, he participated in the attack on Iwo Jima. He now lives in Detroit Lakes, MN.

We also visited the Air and Space Museum located close to Dulles International Airport. Here is the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. We saw it a few days after the pilot Paul Tibbets died.

After breakfast we headed for the memorial at about 7:25 AM. Saturday morning traffic was light and we we at the memorial by 7:40. We had the place to ourselves and the early morning light created a beautiful scene. It was chilly but the sun came out and warmed it up a bit. The North Dakota and Minnesota pillars were very popular photo sites. So was the wall of stars, each star representing 100 American lives lost in the war.

We had a flag presentation ceremony in front of the wall of stars and took a group photo in by the pool. Bob Dole was unable to arrive early enough for photos, but he did come on the bus and speak to us.

Being here with the veterans was a very humbling experience. Many times people came up to the vets and thanked them for their service. This happened again and again everywhere we went.

Here are the photos I took.

Getting off the bus.

The Pacific Theatre side.

The fountain pool in the middle.

The morning sky.

The vets look at their memorial.

The Atlantic Theatre side.

A proud Navy man from the USS Metivier with his grandson. They were our friends from Row 66 of the Boeing 747.

Dad with his daughters.

Not all of the vets were men.

More vets.

Trying to stay warm.

The flag presentation at the wall of stars.

Interviewing the vets.

More vets.

Ack from Linton, ND.

Two Army guys rehash old times.

Two great Marines.

The banquet was held Friday night in the Hyatt Regency Washington, on Capitol Hill where we are staying.   We heard many stirring tributes to the vets all saying the same thing; thank you, and yet we know we can’t thank you enough.  The vets were each given a beautiful picture book of the WWII Memorial.  Despite the fact that we were all tired we enjoyed the speeches and tributes.

My apologies for the photos, the lighting was low and I am not an accomplished photographer.

This was a special ceremony to remember POWs and MIAs.

Here are some general banquet photos.

Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota.

Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota.

Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

Sam Donaldson of ABC News, the main speaker.

After the banquet.

We had a clear and sunny afternoon for visiting the Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and Vietnam War Memorial. The views were beautiful and stunning. Seeing these monuments with the veterans heightened our sense of appreciation and reverance.

Arriving at the Mall. Some vets had fan clubs waiting.

In front of the Korean War Memorial.

A proud descendant with his favorite veteran in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

In front of the reflecting pool with the Washington Monument in the distance.

Honoring those who gave the supreme sacrifice in Vietnam.

Veterans and escorts file past The Wall.

The Mullens from Fergus Falls in front of a Vietnam Memorial statue.

Looking towards the Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial.

A proud vet and his escort from Elgin, ND.

Dad with his daughter, Lynn.

Boarding the bus after the tour of the memorials.

As of tonight, there is a new contributions page that can be viewed by clicking the “Contributions” link. Photos submitted by others on the honor flight trip will appear there, so check for updates as the trip progresses. Thank you for all of your lovely comments! I expect that more photos will be posted this evening on the main page.

Our flight went smoothly with only a bit of turbulence. The 747 had 66 rows of seats and dad and I were in row 65. It was a long walk from the nose of the plane. We were given lots of snack food and also had a sandwich and beverages. We did leave about an hour late, but it takes a long time to get so many people through security and on to the plane.

We arrived in DC at about 2:10 local time. We were taken by shuttle to the terminal and then got on our buses by group colors. We lost out on our driving tour of DC because we were behind schedule, but we hope to see some of that tomorrow. We did drive past the Iwo Jima Memorial on the way into DC from Dulles International Airport.

We went to the mall and had time to visit the Lincoln, Korean, and Vietnam memorials. It was a nice sunny day although it got a bit chilly if you were out of the sun.

The banquet is tonight at 7:00 with lots of visiting after the meal.

Here are some photos:

Navy then and now at Hector Airport.

Gordon and Elaine Caldis of Grand Forks.

The band that played for us.

Governor Hoeven and Congressman Pomeroy prepare to greet the vets.

Army then and now.

Hurry up and wait.

Dad and the governor.

The Plane

Local color guards and service members gave a memorable send off to the vets. This is when eyes started to get misty.

Barb Chamberlain of Moorhead and her dad on the plane.

Kilroy was here, of course.

Patiently waiting in Row 66 to get off the plane.

Things are really running smooth here at Hector Airport in Fargo.  We were greeted in the parking lot by a golf cart at 7:00 and transported to the terminal.   Everyone is upbeat and friendly.   Old friends are greeting each other and new friendships are being created.  I have seen all kinds of caps:  Marine, Army Ranger, several Navy ships, Air Force, Anzio Beach, and Airborne.

Thanks to the efficiency of the volunteers the check in process went great and now we are waiting to process through security.  TV cameras are here and 970 WDAY is  broadcasting live.

Here are pictures I took this morning of the vets checking in.

Almost time to go through security.  We hear a band playing patriotic music and the songs of the branches of service.

What an honor to be with these vets and listen to them talk about their experiences.

Tomorrow is the big day and we are ready to go.

Here is the logo on the back of the Honor Flight jackets.

Here is dad in his 101st Airborne cap and then the two of us together.

Let me tell you a little bit about Gus. He was born and raised on a farm north of Pettibone, ND. After graduating from Pettibone High School he went to radio school on an island in Boston Harbor. He entered the Army in 1943 and became a radio man in the 907th Glider Field Artillery Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division. He was at Normandy for D-Day, in Bastogne over Christmas during the Battle of the Bulge, and visited Hitler’s mountain retreat at Berchtesgaden after the war ended. He got home the day before Thanksgiving in 1945.

He has not been on a plane in over 60 years. One of his last flights was in a glider from England to Holland in Operation Market Garden in 1944. The operation was the subject of a book by Cornelius Ryan called “A Bridge Too Far”and later on was made into a movie.

After the war he was like every other vet. He went home, got a job and raised a family. Those of us who grew up in the 50’s and 60’s were surrounded by veterans. They were our fathers, uncles, teachers, and neighbors. They didn’t talk about what they did, they were just doing their duty, no more or less than anyone else.

Dad took a job as a depot agent for Northern Pacific Railroad and was the agent in Hazen, Zap, and Stanton before settling in Beulah in 1961. He retired in 1982 after 36 years with the railroad.

We look forward to meeting many veterans tomorrow and Saturday and hearing their stories. I plan to photograph as many vets as possible and post all of the pictures. I hope you get to see a photo of your favorite vet on the site.