Midwest Veterans Filled With Pride at Branch Memorials

By Connor Trett

Published: May. 8, 2024

(via KTIV TV) - Veterans on the 18th Midwest Honor Flight got to tour around the nation’s capital and see the monuments and memorials to their service and sacrifice.

Their tour included a stop at the Iwo Jima Memorial, which is dedicated to the U.S. Marines.

KTIV’s Connor Trett caught up with a veteran from Le Mars, Iowa, and talked with him about the pride that he felt when he saw the statue honoring the branch of the American military in which he served.

“Once a Marine, always a Marine. You don’t ever leave the Marine Corps, there’s no such thing as a former Marine, you are always a Marine,” said Kenneth Becker, Sr. who served in both the Marines and the Navy. “I was in D.C. four different times when I was in the reserves, and we never got up here, but now that I’m here this is fantastic.”

The tour also stopped at the U.S. Navy Memorial Plaza, in Washington, D.C. It was a particular point of pride for the veterans who served in the Navy.

“It’s just an honor, it’s something I thought I’d never see and now I’m here,” said Navy Veteran Joe Olander.

“It just swells my heart to the maximum,” said Navy Veteran Phillip Julch. “I’m so proud of not only the Navy, but all of the branches of the service, and I’m proud of what I did and all of my fellow veterans.”

The veterans also toured the Air Force memorial, as well as, memorials commemorating World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

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Source: https://www.ktiv.com/2024/05/08/midwest-veterans-filled-with-pride-branch-memorials/