Honor Flight

“Isn’t that something!”

Former Blooming Prairie banker Kenneth Trom would be deep in discussion with friends at a coffee break and acknowledge a friend’s story with that phrase.

Trom, a U.S. Army veteran, used it often during his Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. on Monday, Oct. 10. The purpose of the flight is to reward longtime veterans for their military service.

Trom became the second BP veteran to make an Honor Flight. The late Merle McNutt, a Navy veteran, was the first given this special honor reserved for World War II, Korea War and Vietnam War veterans.

Early flight

It was early to rise for Trom, 87, and his daughter, Kerri, as they were to be at the Hubert H. Humphrey Terminal in Minneapolis two hours before their 6 a.m. departure.

Trom always hoped that he could add the Honor Flight to his “bucket list.”

“I knew about the Honor Flight some 20 years ago,” Trom said.

A friend of Trom’s, Gene Lysne, went on the Honor Flight a few years ago and encouraged Trom to check into it, and that he did. Trom picked up an application form from the Mower County Veterans Service officer and sent it in.

Trom urges all veterans to contact their Honor Flight Hub.

Participation in an Honor Flight gives veterans the chance to share this momentous trip with other veterans, to remember friends and comrades lost, and to share their stories and experiences with each other.

There is a pecking order when a veteran applies. World War II vets go first, Korean War vets are next, and then Vietnam veterans can have the chance to make the flight.

“I’m glad I went,” said Trom. “It’s an opportunity of a lifetime.”

Mail call

Just after the 85 veterans and their 85 guardians boarded the plane, they were treated to a water cannon salute.

A highlight of the trip for Trom came early in the flight when he heard “Mail Call” over the loudspeaker. Military types are familiar with that familiar phrase after serving their country.

Guardians, including Kerri, were encouraged to write a letter and send to Honor Flight organizers who addressed the piece to the veteran.

“I got about 20 pieces of mail, which really was a nice gesture,” Trom said.

Trom sat across the aisle from a Brainerd Korean War vet.

“We knew some of the same people,” he said. “Isn’t that something!”

Salute at Dulles

The flight was 1 hour and 58 minutes, and another water cannon salute came upon the arrival at the Dulles International Airport.

The group’s first stop was the Air Force Memorial, which is quite new with 30 spires surrounding the memorial. The shortest spire was 201 feet tall, and the tallest spire was 270 feet. Trom said it reminded him of the three airplanes mounted near I-35 north of Owatonna.

The spires are to represent a vapor trail left by a jet airplane, he said. The memorial overlooks D.C. and gave veterans and their guardians a “nice view” of the Pentagon, the Washington Memorial and other popular memorials.

The group then took a lunch break at the Air Force Museum.

Next stop was the World War II memorial, with the European Theatre on top and the Pacific Theatre below.

“It was very impressive,” Trom said.

The Korean War Memorial featured bigger than life-size soldiers marching through the rice paddies, wearing Army ponchos. The soldiers were on a battle march.

Trom said that was a favorite because he served a long time in Korea and got to know the terrain well. He said three soldiers from southeastern Minnesota were killed in the Korean War.

Unknown soldier

Another highlight came as veterans and their guardians visited the Arlington Cemetery. The Minnesota group was fortunate to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“My daughter really liked this,” Trom said.

While his group “got behind” early and thus missed seeing some sights, they saw most when the Honor Flight vets took a bus tour around the mall area.

That tour enabled the military veterans a chance to see the Capitol, the White House, and many other notable shrines.

“We called this tour a drive-by,” said Trom, adding he was disappointed that his group did not have time to visit the Vietnam Wall.

On the bus ride, Trom said he made friends with a Vietnam vet from Anoka.

“I tried to encourage him to have a special Vietnam Tribute, similar to what Blooming Prairie did several years ago,” Trom said.

The Honor Flight ended with the plane landing at 10:30 p.m.

“It was a long day but an unforgettable one,” Trom said. “We had just witnessed seeing the nerve center of the world in action.”