Memories flood back for veterans on Honor Flight

UPDATE: All it took was a step onto the tarmac for memories of World War II to surface on this Honor Flight.

Leslie Yearous flew in B-17's during World War II.  He tells stories of how the plane would be so loaded down with bombs and ammunition, they would have to bounce the plane off the ground.  He hoped the takeoff today would go a little smoother.

“The pilot would hit it and we would get down the runway and take off just enough to end up bouncing off the ground to get going,” said Yearous, 87, of Marshalltown.

Yearous started the trip off smiling when he stepped foot on the tarmac at The Eastern Iowa Airport.  It's been a while since he had flown.  He smiled even more when the chartered plane full of 98 veterans and more than 50 helpers finally took off.

“The B-17 had a little more punch to it, I think,” said Yearous.

He tells another story of a time when their bomber was damaged on a mission.  An enemy plane had shot the tail of the B-17 off.  He was the engineer on board and had to find the cables and connect everything so the plane could keep flying and eventually land.

Also on board is Mary Allemang, 87, Cedar Rapids.  Allemang is one of the seven female veterans on board this Honor Flight.  She was a WASP and trained Navy pilots to fly.

“We would train them and they had to pass our tests.  If they didn't pass, they were washed out of the system.  It was that strict,” said Allemang.

One time a seaman came into the program to learn to fly.  He didn't do well on the first test and came to Allemang to get an extra lesson.  She said she offered up the lesson like usual on their simulators.

“He did so well during that lesson, that I said it wasn't a lesson and it instead was the actual test.  I passed him,” said Allemang.  “He said he was shocked that he was calmer under fire than he was practicing.”

During the two-hour flight, the veterans watched a documentary on the war and the history of the World War II memorial.

The flight was a little rough.  The pilot stopped beverage service at one point because of turbulence, but the plane landed safely and the veterans were set to arrive at the World War II Memorial.

A little background trivia: The memorial was opened to the public in April 2004.  In the six years since, veterans of all wars have traveled to the site to pay their respects.  Of the 16 million World War II veterans, this honor flight delivers 98 to the hallowed ground.

Earlier today: Nurses tell their service stories

The toll of age was apparent even before 98 veterans loaded the Honor Flight plane bound for Washington, D.C. this morning in Cedar Rapids.

There were supposed to be 100 veterans, but at the last minute one had to stay home because of recent oral surgery.  Doctors said they were having trouble getting the bleeding to stop.  Another had to stay home because of a kidney infection.

The 98 veterans are all from World War II, but not all served overseas.

There are seven women on the trip. Dorothy Miller, 86, of Cedar Rapids is making the trip with her friends Gretchen Brayton, 87, of Sumner, and Mary Jones, 87, of Cedar Rapids. All three were nurses during the war and served stateside.

Dorothy said in the hospital she served, there were a lot of surgeons – it was her way of making a point that surgery was common. She also said she saw a lot of burns during her time.

“The soldiers called me princess back then,” said Jones as she was getting ready to board a chartered plane for an Honor Flight.  "Today I feel like a queen. How good is that?”

The veterans will travel to see the World War II monument as well as Arlington National Cemetery and several other sights during their day-long flight to Washington, D.C.  They all arrived at the Eastern Iowa Airport around 4 a.m. and will return around 11 p.m.