Veteran appreciates Eastern Iowa Honor Flight program

As a former B-17 bomber crew sergeant, I have never been one inclined to wave the flag. I put all of that behind myself many years ago when I returned home from overseas.

However, on Sept. 13, I become acutely aware that it is impossible to put wartime experiences behind oneself as if they had never happened. I had the privilege of participating in the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight program and visited our World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. And it all came suddenly rushing back upon me. After 65 years of willfully forgetting the past, I have once again seen (in spirit) the young smiling faces of my brother airmen who were shot down while flying over Germany. These, my former companions, have been resting for many years in hallowed graves. I feel that the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight program has brought us together again.

I thank Michael Potter and all of those who have made these flights possible. There are still approximately 4,000 World War II men and women veterans still living in Iowa. I hope that corporate Iowa will graciously continue its financial funding of this outstanding program.

I would be remiss if I failed to salute those who were not veterans. Without them we veterans would have accomplished nothing. During World War II, many wonderful people worked as diligently for the triumph of freedom as anyone who wore a uniform.

Herbert Maynard

Cedar Rapids