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ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) — Phil Moon, one of 24 military veterans to make the second installment of Utah Honor Flight, had ridden in a bus for an hour and a half, posed for myriad photos and received hearty congratulations from many of Utah's most prominent politicians Tuesday morning.
Now it was time for the veteran of World War II and the Korean War to get a closer look at the National World War II Memorial. But first, a familiar voice called his name.
"Hi Grandpa!"
It was Marine Maj. Dane Salm, who had taken time off from his duty at the Pentagon to visit his grandfather. Moon said they hadn't seen each other in several years.
And Moon didn't know Salm was coming.
"Here he comes, out of the blue," Moon recalled a few hours after the meeting, still emotional about the encounter. "What a great surprise that was. I had tears in my eyes."
It was just one of many heartwarming, soul-lifting experiences felt by Utah's WWII veterans, including 10 who left from Southern Utah, during a three-day visit to Washington D.C., which culminated with a welcome-back ceremony at Vernon Worthen Park that included a speech from St. George Mayor Jon Pike.
On the trip, the veterans were treated to two banquet dinners, toured the WWII Memorial, the Air Force Memorial, the Iwo Jima Memorial and several of the other memorials that dot The Mall in Washington. They were accompanied by guardians — usually family members — and four volunteers from the Utah Honor Flight's all-volunteer staff.
The primary goal of the trip was to see the memorials. What many of them didn't anticipate was the outpouring of gratitude they would receive.
When the Southern Utah contingent arrived at the Baltimore airport, they were greeted with hearty applause as hundreds of people lined the walkways, including about 30 members of the Air Force.
Some of the men received more than just cheers. One woman, moved by the occasion, said, "I have to kiss one of these handsome men" — and planted one on Moon.
Vernon Hughes, a St. George resident who was part of the Army Air Forces, boarded the bus looking and feeling years younger. As he headed to his seat, he grabbed a stranger and with a gleam in his eye and said, "Was that a reception or what?"
The tours of the memorials evoked memories from the men's wartime service of seven decades ago.
Upon arriving to the Iwo Jima Memorial, Cornelius De Jong of Salt Lake City said, "I was there when that happened."
A Navy machinist's mate, De Jong helped Marines to shore during the second wave of the Iwo Jima assault. He recalled the first of the two Iwo Jima flag-raisings on Feb. 23, 1945, and how wonderful it was to see the colors — even as 8- and 16-inch guns from nearby ships roared behind him.
"We were cheering and celebrating," De Jong said, "then later we were all bawling."
Family was the theme for Alvin Macauley, who served in the Army Air Forces. In addition to his daughter who served as guardian, four other family members were in attendance.
Karen Macauley, Alvin's granddaughter, drove up from North Carolina.
"It's been absolutely wonderful," she said. "He lives in St. George, so we don't really get to see him a lot. But he really enjoyed himself. He was happy the whole time.
In the aftermath, the veterans were beaming, some of the men holding court with much younger flight attendants while they retraced their steps back home and shared memories of wartime service.
Ed Baumgarten, a St. George resident who parachuted into his first combat in the Philippines in 1945, marveled at how well the UHF volunteers had everything planned. The trip came at no cost to the veterans. The accompanying guardians must pay their way, which can range from $800 to $900.
The whole project is funded by donations, and UHF is an all-volunteer staff. Yet to Baumgarten it was a professional effort, from the accommodations to the meals and pageantry.
"I can't imagine anything that could be done better," he said.
For most veterans, the gratitude they received was the best part. Rock-star treatment was the norm.
Gratitude was extended in so many different ways, so many times, it left the veterans awestruck. Moon said one of the things that "really got to me" was the kids coming up and saying, "Thank you for your service."
St. George resident Jay "Ed" Williams told everyone he encountered what a wonderful time he had.
"Those crowds, they really made the day," he said. "It made me really emotional."
Then he paused.
"This was the greatest event of my life," he said.
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Information from: The Spectrum, http://www.thespectrum.com
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