Veterans who traveled to Washington, D.C. with Honor Flight of the Quad Cities on Nov. 1 pose for a group photo at the Lincoln Memorial. (Photo contributed)

MENDOTA - They served their country in different times and in different places but all four local veterans on a recent Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. were similarly moved by the experience.

Melvin Bonnell of West Brooklyn, Dennis Piller and Jim Flaherty of Mendota and Larry Truckenbrod of Sublette were among 97 veterans flown from Moline to the nation’s capital on the Nov. 1 through Honor Flight of the Quad Cities. Each of the veterans was accompanied by a guardian, who helped them navigate through the long day. From 4 a.m. when they gathered at the Dixon VFW until right around midnight when they got back home, the veterans were given a warm welcome everywhere they went.

For Bonnell, pictured above, who served from December 1959 to September 1962,  this was his first ever visit to Washington, D.C. and he came away understandably impressed by everything he saw. While Bonnell enjoyed seeing all of the monuments and statues, equally touching was the attention the veterans received from the younger generation. After arriving at the airport, the Honor Flight was greeted by a large group of students who sang “God Bless America” and spent some time visiting with the veterans. “It brought a tear to your eye,” Bonnell said of the warm reception. “There must have been 300 of them. It was really touching.”

Also waiting for Bonnell at the airport was his niece, Kristi Estes, who is serving in the Army and works at the Pentagon. Bonnell said it was nice to be able to spend a few hours with his niece, whom he hadn’t seen in several years.

Bonnell, who served from 1959 to 1962, said he trained in communications before being sent overseas to Nuremberg, Germany in 1960, where he remained until his discharge in 1962. While in Germany, Bonnell recalled the day in 1961 when the Berlin Wall went up. Although he was not in Berlin, Bonnell said it was a scary day because at the time, no one knew for sure what would happen next. “There were guards at the wall, and some people got killed trying to cross but you never hear about that,” he noted. “And now the wall is down.”

Bonnell, who was accompanied on the trip by his niece, Jan Bonnell of Amboy, said it was a very enjoyable trip and he would definitely recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to go. “They treated you really good, it was more than I expected,” he acknowledged.

Larry Truckenbrod, who was drafted into the Army in May 1953 during the Korean War, was equally impressed with the trip. “On a scale of 1 to 10, the trip was an 11,” he said enthusiastically.

The veterans on the Nov. 1 Honor Flight included three from World War II, 14 who served during the Korean War and 80 Vietnam veterans. After landing at Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C., Truckenbrod said the veterans and their guardians for the day boarded three red, white and blue busses to begin their tour around town. “We had a police escort everywhere we went - it was like a parade - everyone was waving and clapping,” he chuckled. “It was really something.”

One of the more impressive sights for Truckenbrod was the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. “They are perfectly dressed in their uniforms, their haircuts are perfect,” he said of the service members, called sentinels, who guard the tomb. “They take 21 steps back and forth guarding the tomb, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, no matter the weather. That is something to see.”

Truckenbrod, now 84, pointed out that if he had been born just four months earlier, he would likely have been killed in combat. Although the Korean War lasted only three years, U.S. casualties reached over 36,000 with 92,134 wounded. But fortunately for Truckenbrod, the war ended while he was still in basic training. Because of that, he was not sent overseas, something he thinks about even now. But his family’s ties to Korea did not end there. Truckenbrod said all these years later his youngest son, Nathan, is currently stationed in Korea. “He has served for 27 years and is now an Army Major but he hopes to get the rank of Lt. Col.,” Truckenbrod noted proudly. “The military has been very nice to him.”

As Vietnam veterans, both Piller and Flaherty had high praise for their Honor Flight trip. Piller, who had never been to Washington, D.C., said he was very impressed by everything he saw and really appreciated the work of all the volunteers who arranged the trip. “They were fantastic and I give them a lot of credit,” he said. “Everything was very well organized and they kept us right on schedule. I had a great time.”

Piller, above left, who was drafted at the age of 19, served in the military from October 1967 to October 1969. The second year of his service, 1968-69, was spent in Vietnam. So, being able to see the Vietnam Memorial Wall, which has the names of more than 58,000 service members who were killed during the war, was important to Piller. “It has a special place in my heart, but at the same time, it was heart wrenching,” he admitted. “I knew people on the Wall but I’m glad I went to see it. All the memorials we saw were fantastic, I was very impressed.”

Piller was even more impressed by the reception they received, which was a very different scenario than he had when returning home from Vietnam in 1969. “When I came home from Vietnam, people were against the war and there was no attention given to us,” he recalled. “We weren’t treated very nicely at that time.”

All these years later, Piller said he was caught off guard by the wonderful support and all the recognition they received throughout the trip. “At every airport there were a bunch of people welcoming us, it was awesome - I was very surprised by that,” he said. “I would recommend that anyone who has the chance to go, do so. It’s a long day but well worth it.”

Similar sentiments were expressed by Flaherty, who was drafted in 1965 and served in Vietnam until retuning home in September 1967. Flaherty said he really enjoyed seeing all of the memorials and monuments but like Piller, he did not consider that the most memorable part of the trip. “It was a wonderful trip but the best part was all the hugs, handshakes and the beautiful children who greeted us,” he said. “It was a beautiful thing, quite different than when we came home 50 years ago.”

Flaherty, waving above, noted that veterans on the trip have all their expenses paid through donations and fundraisers held throughout the year for Honor Flight. He said the volunteers and all of the people they encountered everywhere they went did whatever they could to make it a memorable experience. “We got a tremendous amount of applause from all the people and we even had mail call - there were letters and cards from people I never even met before,” he said. “It was spectacular.”

For Flaherty and Piller, this trip was especially poignant after the disrespect and anger they encountered upon their return home in the 1960s. While Flaherty said he preferred to not dwell on the past, he had one remark, “Let’s just say there were no parades for returning vets 50 years ago.”

Now that so much time has passed, both of the Vietnam veterans felt honored to be able to take this trip. Flaherty said he was overwhelmed by the kindness of the people, the handshakes and the hugs they received. And he also enjoyed the comradery among the veterans and guardians traveling in their group. “They were all very nice people,” he said. “It was nice to meet them all and to talk with them. It was just a wonderful day.”

Honor Flights began in 2005, the year after completion of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. The first flights left from Springfield, Ohio to bring World War II veterans, many of whom could not otherwise afford such a trip, to see their new memorial. Initially, the planes were flown by private pilots who volunteered their time and all expenses. The veterans were asked to pay nothing.

Due to the age of World War II veterans, the organizers knew time was of the essence. As the program grew, commercial jets were used for the flights in order to carry larger groups. In 2006, an Honor Flight Network was created so regions across the country could begin similar projects for veterans in their area. Currently there are 131 hubs in 45 states.

In 2008, veterans and family members in Iowa and Illinois formed the Quad City Honor Flight chapter. The Nov. 1 trip was the second flight for Lee County Honor Flight, a chapter of the Quad Cities hub. The veterans on this trip were from Lee, Ogle, Whiteside, Bureau, Carroll, LaSalle, DeKalb and DuPage counties as well as Clinton and Camanche, Iowa.

For more information about Honor Flights in this area, visit www.HonorFlightQC.org.