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MURRAY — At 96, Dan M. Eastman still dances the jitterbug, tells a good joke and maintains a 180 average in a Wii bowling league.
"This is not a particularly 'shrinking violet' type of person," says his son, Alan Eastman.
As affable and outgoing as Eastman is among fellow residents of Olympus Ranch Retirement Community, Eastman the World War II Army bomber pilot was quick to deflect the recognition he received Wednesday when he was presented an Honor Salute by Community Nursing Services and volunteer service members.
"It just blows my mind. It's hard to believe. In fact, I feel like I'm here for other people as much as I am for myself," said Eastman, who flew bombing missions in Europe during World War II and upon honorable discharge in 1946 joined the U.S. Air Force Reserve and also the Utah National Guard.
All that came after completing mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which ended in the fall of 1941. He enlisted in the military shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Asked why he has committed so much of his life to service, Eastman says, "I love my country. Just stop to realize how lucky we are to live in the United States."
During a brief ceremony in a commons area of the retirement residence, Eastman was honored by four fellow service members representing the Air Force, Army and Marine Corps.
The service members presented Eastman a certificate, an American flag and veteran's pin. Mostly they were there to express their gratitude to a veteran of the Greatest Generation.
"It's not every day I get to pay tribute to a good World War II veteran, especially someone who was back in the Army Air Corps before the Air Force even started, so it was a big tribute," said senior airman Collin Adams, who is based at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
Dennis Howland, Utah state council president of the Vietnam Veterans of America, said he, too, felt honored to take part in the Honor Salute.
"For me, being a Vietnam vet, we look back and the World War II guys … kind of paved the way for us. They handed us a big ball to carry in Vietnam, so it was an honor for me. My dad was a World War II veteran, so it kind of reminded me of my dad," said Howland, a Marine Corps sergeant who flew in Vietnam as a crew member.
Some 430 World War II-era veterans die each day, according to the Veterans Administration. Many die without their families knowing the roles they played in the war fought in Europe and in the Pacific.
"This is a part of history. This gentleman has so many stories to tell. If people know World War II vets, now is the time to sit down and record their stories. Talk to them and listen to their stories because they won't always be here," Howland said.
Eastman, who grew up in Tooele, initially worked as a purchasing and contracting clerk at the airfield in Wendover. He later entered flight training and was assigned to the 416th Bomber Group, 671st Squadron based in England. He flew A-20 and A-26 bombers on missions in France, including missions on D-Day that knocked out bridges and supply lines.
After the service, he married, and he and his wife moved to San Francisco, where he studied mortuary science. He returned to Utah with designs on attending medical school, but he had to scrub those plans after his son, Alan, contracted polio. The couple had four children but later divorced.
After shelving his medical school plans, Eastman returned to working as a funeral service director. He conducted his last funeral service 10 years ago, Alan Eastman said.
The elder Eastman said although funeral homes are private businesses, he viewed handling people's funeral arrangements as a form of service, too.
"The reason I'm so proud of that part of my life is I went from serving some of the people to serving a lot people," he said. "The funeral service business is a great gift to our country, not because of me particularly, but all the funeral directors I know spend all of their time helping other people."
Eastman was born on Christmas Day, and the 90th birthday party put on by his children — during the summer of that year — "was only the second birthday party he said he'd had in his life," son Alan said.
Eastman said he likes to stay active, and "all my signs put my health as a 60-year-old."
He has macular degeneration and he is legally blind. He participated in a trial at the University of Utah's Moran Eye Center for treatment of the disease that has promise for some, "but it was too late for him," said his son.
Still, Alan Eastman said his father's mind is sharp and he is very social. His second wife died a few years ago.
Sheri Harrell, Community Nursing Services' Honor Salute coordinator, said the agency is proud to honor Eastman, who is among its veteran hospice patients.
"These tributes bring a great sense of pride, peace and closure for these veterans and their families," Harrell said.
"You can see it in their faces and feel it in their tears when the honoree slowly returns the salute with respect to the soldiers that continue to fight today. 1st Lt. Dan Eastman represents all of the heroes that fought in World War II, their courage, resilience and love for our country."
Eastman said he was grateful for the recognition and for the friends and family who gathered for the ceremony but said it was done "in honor of all who served your country and my country for so many years. May they live on in our memories. We love them.
"I can't tell you how surprised I was that all this happened in my name. I'm just an old guy that walks the halls. Thank you for everything."
