Tomlinson takes memorable trip to D.C.

Tom Tomlinson, left, accompanied his father, Bill Tomlinson on an Honor Flight trip to Washington.

Saturday, Nov. 1, I was privileged to participate in the inaugural Quad Cities Honor Flight 2008, as a guardian for my dad, William L. Tomlinson of Carthage; Calvin Jensen of Milan; and Paul March of Chillicothe, along with about 156 others.

The day began at about 3:30 a.m. at our house where my dad, brother, wife and I got up to prepare for the trip to the airport. When we got there at 5 a.m., a number of vets and other guardians were already there. After checking in at the red, white and blue decorated charter desk, Dad and I passed through a Patriot Guard Riders gauntlet, receiving efficient help by airport personnel and volunteers getting through security and picked up our fanny packs which included a disposable camera and a photo album which were donated by Humana.

We boarded the plane at about 7 and started our journey. At about 10 a.m. Eastern time we landed at Dulles Airport and were greeted prior to arriving at the gate by a water cannon salute, an honor normally reserved for pilots who are flying their last flight. What an awesome way to start our day in DC. Then, walking off the plane we were greeted by more Honor Flight volunteers and another fantastic gauntlet of cheering, clapping, and hugging, a moving tribute for all!

After exiting the building, we boarded our three tour buses where we were provided lunches.

Our first stop, at 12:30 p.m., was the primary reason for the day's trip, the World War II Memorial. For my Dad, this was truly a “moment in time” as he was one of the charter members of the fundraising for this memorial and had tickets to the opening ceremony, which he was unable to attend. So, at last, he finally was able to see that which he had helped build!

Then, as we were waiting to tour the Memorial, we were pleasantly surprised to see Ret. General Colin Powell come by, greeting many of our vets. This truly was another honor for all in attendance.

We spent a couple of hours at this Memorial, taking pictures, walking around viewing all the scenes, reminiscing, and many of the vets also receiving congratulations and thanks from other visitors. There were also many young people who made it a point to stop and visit with the vets and thank them for their service.

We continued our tour, with a stop of about 30 minutes at the Air Force Memorial. Along the way we passed by the Pentagon where we could still see the evidence of the 2001 plane crash and the ongoing repairs. In the background, we could also see the Capitol Building.

We stopped at the Iwo Jima Memorial where vets were given a bit of a history “refresher” provided by our Honor Flight regional director, Alan Bailey, from Springfield, Ohio. He had accompanied us on this inaugural flight to help and give commentary for the Quad Cities Honor Flight Program.

From here, we proceeded to Arlington National Cemetery for the changing of the guard which took place at 5 p.m. This was a most impressive ceremony, especially when one learns the intricacies of the entire guard ritual at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Everything centers around 21 - 21 paces between the two ends of the guards route, 21 seconds when the guard reaches each end of the path, 21 seconds when he makes the turns, etc. His rifle also is on the opposite shoulder from the tomb, as a symbol of his protecting the tomb! The actual ceremony of the changing of the guard is highly ritualized and very somber, a moving tribute to the sacred place!

We stopped at the Korean and Vietnam memorials. It was nearing dusk but we managed to get photos and Paul March and I found a name on the Vietnam Memorial Wall. I made a rubbing for him of the name as well as took a photo for him. After supper we headed for Dulles and our return home.

The security screening process at Dulles was a bit on the slow side, so the old military adage of “Hurry up and wait” was highly evident.

While on the flight back, Bob Morrison, the hub director of the Quad Cities Honor Flight, distributed letters and cards created by area kids to say thanks for what our vets had done. This was precipitated, Bob said, by history lessons the kids had just concluded on World War II, and it made quite an impact on everyone, another rewarding moment for the vets!

The culmination of our long, tiring, but highly memorable day came when we turned the corner in the airport and saw not only the Patriot Guard Riders there to welcome back the vets, but a very large throng of people - relatives, friends and complete strangers who had spent a very long evening waiting for our return. Vets received salutes from members of the Patriot Guard Riders. This was a highly emotional time for all of us and a fitting climax to an absolutely awesome day!

For the record, my Dad was a B-17 lead bombardier serving in the 419th Squad, 301st Group, 15th Air Force with missions out of Italy from Dec. 1944 until the end of the European Conflict as part of the Army Air Corps.

Calvin was an Army Flight Engineer and Gunner with the 8th Army, 467th Bomb Group. He was stationed in Rothley, England and flew 32 missions before being reassigned to the States.

Paul served in the Navy as Rolling Stock Engineer attached to the Seabees at Henderson Field. Following several years of service, he was then transferred to the Philippines where he stayed until his service was completed.