Back in the summer of 2007, Custer County hosted the first Hero Flight in the state of Nebraska. Private donations funded the cost for 25 Custer County World War II veterans to fly to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorial erected in their honor.

I was the managing editor of the Custer County Chief at that time, and my publisher, Deb McCaslin, graciously invited me to accompany the veterans and their escorts as the official trip reporter. My job was to document their experience through stories and photographs, but little did I know how much that trip would truly impact my life.

For the few months leading up to the flight, I conducted interviews with each of the veterans selected to go. I sat down with them in their living rooms, or across the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, while they shared their military experiences with me. I learned that for many of them, this was the first time they had talked openly about that part of their lives in many years.

The stories they shared were enthralling, and sometimes quite emotional. I sat with one gentleman from Broken Bow who could no longer see much more than shadows or hear very well, but he still remembered. He recounted his experience on the battlefield with such detail I could almost hear the gunfire. And when he shared about holding his best friend in his arms while he died, gesturing with his arms as if reliving the moment, we both cried.

I spoke with a man who had been taken captive when his plane was shot down and was held in a Japanese POW camp for two long years. He told me about the maggot-filled bowls of rice the prisoners were fed, and having to tear their beds apart to burn the wood to keep warm.

There was a gentleman on a ship that was sunk, a fighter pilot who recorded many successful missions, jeep drivers, gunners, medics - their stories remain etched in my mind to this day. And the memories from the trip with them will always be one of the most treasured events of my life.

It was the first time I had ever flown. But I was not the only one. There was a gentleman from Ansley who had also never been on a plane - he went overseas on a ship. He had never married, and he had no escort, so we provided one for him. He was a very quiet, humble man who brought his items with him in a plastic bag. This was the kind of trip he would have never gotten to take had it not been for the generosity of the donors and the diligence of the organizers who planned this special event.

I had the privilege of watching him closely as his eyes lit up when we landed in the city and when we visited the memorials. He formed a friendship with his young escort that I would venture to guess is still treasured by that young man to this day.

As we walked around the World War II memorial together, I witnessed men stopping to read inscriptions that meant so much more to them than to the rest of us who read them. And when we visited the haunting Korean War Memorial the silence was almost deafening.

At the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, I followed a veteran from Arnold who stopped for several minutes looking at a large painted mural on the wall. Eventually, he pointed to the turret on the top of the plane in the mural and said, “That was me. That is where I sat.” It still brings tears to my eyes to recall the emotion on that sweet man’s face as he stared at the painting, clearly remembering all too clearly what he had experienced.

This trip also came with a very special moment, when four of our Custer County veterans were given the honor of laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown at Arlington National Cemetery. Visiting that place and witnessing the ceremony of the changing of the guard is something every American should do.

I have had the privilege of going on three Honor Flights in my career. Each has been wonderful, but it was that first one that will forever hold a special place in my heart. They were called “the greatest generation”, and after personally getting to know so many of them, I agree.

Sadly, I believe only one veteran of that original Nebraska Hero Flight is still living. Their sacrifice was incredible, and they asked for nothing in return. So as another Memorial Day approaches, I fondly remember those veterans and their stories with a great deal of gratitude…and I salute them.

Contact Ellen at: ellen@syndicatepub.com