MENDOTA – Throughout the year there are many national holidays focused on veterans thanking them for their service in the United States military.

Honor Flight of the Quad Cities has added to the appreciation and respect with three flights per year sending veterans to Washington D.C. to see all of the monuments and memorials created to forever enshrine their heroics.

Mendota residents Richard Zinke and Ken Olson were aboard Flight No. 61 for the organization on October 29, 2024.

Although they were on a bus in the Blain’s Farm & Fleet parking lot in Ottawa at 3 a.m. and didn’t return until almost midnight, the long trip was one neither of them regret.

“It was a very memorable experience. It can be emotional. I found a classmate of mine, Amboy High School Class of 1969, on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall and I took a photo of his name,” said Zinke, who served in the Army from 1972-74 and was stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado during Vietnam after being part of the last group to be drafted. “We went to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where we saw the changing of the guard. It was the most emotional part of the trip for me. They did the changing of the wreath also at the Arlington Cemetery.

“It’ll be a memory forever.”

Zinke, like Olson, were thankful for the great caretakers and enjoyed all of the sights.

It was well worth it after Zinke was on the waiting list for 1 ½ years and Olson was on it for 2 ½ years.

“It was an amazing honor to be part of the flight and the entire experience. The people that were there to great us were exceptional,” said Olson, who served in the Navy from 1971-75 and was deployed to Vietnam and Guam. “Elementary school musicians were playing songs. It was quite impressive. We were escorted by the park police through Washington D.C. They stopped traffic at intersections for us and our buses went right on through. We were given red carpet treatment. It was really something.

“My wife and I went to Washington D.C. about five years ago. We spent more time at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. It was amazing how much has changed in those five years. With the Honor Flight, we went to the new Air Force Memorial and the Pentagon.

“We were bused directly to each monument or memorial including the Vietnam Memorial. The Abraham Lincoln Memorial was under construction, so we didn’t walk up. We also saw the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the World War II Memorial.”

With their trip just days before the presidential election on November 5, they witnessed a few more helicopters and extra security than normal.

Then-Vice President, who was running for president against Donald Trump, Kamala Harris gave a speech outside of the White House the same evening Zinke and Olson were at Washington D.C., but they were back in the air before she spoke.

“They call it the Honor Flight and I really felt honored to be able to go on the flight,” Olson said. “The way we were treated both in Washington D.C. and at the Quad Cities International Airport in Moline, was very nice. There were some military memories of hurry up and waiting. It was alright, enjoyable.

“We had two Korean veterans and three women vets who were honored at the Military Women’s Memorial in Arlington. It’s not new, but relatively new.”

At the airport, the 2024 Miss Illinois Teen USA, Arianna Thompson, was present to show her appreciation to the veterans.

With emotions on an almost all-time high, seeing the monuments, meeting veterans from all over the state, meeting people in Washington D.C. the honor felt through the welcoming and friendly greetings, and the overall excitement of a full day, Zinke and Olson had a day they didn’t realize would impact them the way it did.

“I got a lot more out of the trip than I was expecting. It’s something I’ll never forget,” Zinke said. “It brought back memories.”