SPECIAL NOTE: On this Veteran's Day, a special thank you to all the KREM 2 News viewers and businesses who helped send two dozen World War II veterans to Washington, D.C. They were able to see the World War II memorial that was built in their honor. This article looks back at the emotional and heartwarming voyage from beginning to end.
They came from all over the Northwest. Men and women in the winter of their lives setting off on a grueling 72 hour adventure. Most didn't know each other. They gathered at Spokane's Airport, anxious but curious. Honor Flight personnel answered every question including going over the flight schedule. Transportation Security Administration officials set up special security for these vets. Special signs pointed the way to veteran heroes lane.
Their next big surprise came upon their arrival in Salt Lake City, Utah to change planes. They were greeted with a big welcome from scores of fully uniformed Homeland Security personnel aligned with huge American flags. And many heard the words, "thank you" for the first time.
"Nobody ever said thank you for my service until I got to this group," said U.S.A.F. Retired Mayor Duane Reagan.
Arriving late into Baltimore, they readied for their next big day. It began on a somber note, the white marble markers of the war dead lining Arlington National Cemetery. After a special changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the group arrives at the place built in their honor, the World War II memorial. The gold stars commemorate the nearly half-a-million lives lost on both the Atlantic and Pacific fronts. A tsunami of war memories and nightmare flooded back. Ray Daves was a Navy radioman. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, he fed ammo into a machine gun as he and two other tried to shoot down the attacking planes from a building roof top. He saw much of the devastation; bombs and torpedoes hitting the Oklahoma and the Arizona. They fired at one enemy plane and saw smoke from the engine. But Daves doesn't take any credit.
"Well, I didn't pull any triggers. I just gave em' the ammo," reflected Daves.
With more than 2,000 killed and the Pacific fleet decimated, the U.S. entered the war. Daves would later find himself at another historic battle. He served on the USS Yorktown during the battle of Midway. His aircraft was lost but the battle helped turn the tide against the Japanese. Daves first hand account of all these battles is detailed in the book entitled "Radioman".
There is a tribute to the Pacific front and the Atlantic front at the World War II memorial. There are also huge fountains and 56 columns representing every U.S. state and territory all coming together for a common cause.
"You don't realize how wonderful this monument is until you see it in person and it brings tears," said Betty Meyer who served in the U.S. Coast Guard.
