Glen Bauer revisits Washington as part of Honor Flight

Glen Bauer was one of 350 Iowa World War II veterans that had the great opportunity to take part in the Honor Flight, which carried them to Washington D.C. to view the WWII memorial and visit many of the other memorials. His reaction to the one-day trip?

"Awesome!"

In addition to Glen, Alta men Desel Caboth and Rollie Roberts and Alta VFW member Floyd Courtright, were part of the flight.

The veterans met in Des Moines and were treated as the heroes they are by Hy-Vee who provided a quarter of a million dollars for the flight. They were treated to a dinner and program and shuffled off in buses to their hotels for a short night.

The 12 buses transported the veterans in the early morning to the airport; a site to behold were the crowds that had gathered holding signs, "Thank you!" and school-age kids - cheerleaders and band members - there to give them a send off to D.C.

"That made us feel pretty important," Glen said.

The veterans boarded the airplane and headed off with along with 125 additional people serving as helpers for the day; among them were college ROTC students, boy scouts, National Guardsmen and even Hy-Vee employees.

The first stop was the WWII memorial. A great deal of time was spent at the site before moving on to other war memorials, the Lincoln memorial, Arlington Cemetery and Iwo Jima. After a long day, they jetted back home, arriving in Des Moines at midnight.

Glen said the trip was very well planned and couldn't have been any better.

This wasn't the first trip to D.C. for Glen. The nation's capital was the last place he was before being discharged from his service duty in 1946. In 60 years, he said, there were many additions (and many more trees) to see.

Glen was an MP in the service and was brought to D.C. to be a part of the honor guard. The soldiers were called in when dignitaries arrived at the airport; time was also spent at Arlington Cemetery.

"I didn't think it was such a big deal back then," he said.

Also part of the honor guard was Storm Lake's Jerry Hedstrom (the two have remained friends since that time.)

Glen was drafted into WWII and served from 1944-46.

His basic training was in Texas and he was then moved on to Kansas and then Pennsylvania.

"I was supposed to go overseas but me and one other guy were left behind," he said.

Glen was needed. He spoke low German and was needed to serve as an interpreter for the German prisoners that were being kept at the New Cumberland, Pa. base. He also accompanied American soldiers who had committed crimes, being transported to penitentiaries across the nation.

Waiting at home for Glen was the love of his life, Jean. The two were married a short time later.

The Honor Flight allowed the WWII veterans to reflect on their memories of when they stood up and served this country.

Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization created solely to honor American's veterans for all their sacrifices. We transport our heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect at their memorials. Top priority is given to the senior veterans - World War II survivors.

The Network explains, "Of all of the wars in recent memory, it was World War II that truly threatened our very existence as a nation - and as a culturally diverse, free society. Now, with over one thousand World War II veterans dying each day, our time to express our thanks to these brave men and women is running out."

Another Honor Flight is being planned for spring to take Iowa veterans to D.C.

Glen was pleasantly surprised, as were the other veterans, no doubt, to receive a package of letters written by Iowa school children, thanking them for their service.

"Thank you for saving America," said one. "I am proud to be an American. I'm happy that we have you," said another. And another, "Thank you for staying strong and courageous throughout the war. You are a hero to me."

The entire adventure, Glen said, "was a highlight in my life. There are a lot of good people in this world to help make this happen.

Each veteran also received a t-shirt, jacket, hat, stocking cap, gloves and a plaque.

Awesome.