I find it rather fitting that the little town where Honor Flight began sent two of its residents off on an unforgettable trip to the nation’s capital this weekend. Gene Little and Billy O’Dell were two of the 89 veterans aboard Honor Flight Dayton’s chartered plane that left Dayton early Saturday morning and arrived in Washington, D.C. an hour later for an entire week’s worth of sightseeing squeezed into just one day. Both men considered the day to be one of the most memorable experiences of their lives, and praised the organization’s attention to planning and joyful surprises.

Little, 88, joined the Army in September of 1946—the last months before soldiers were officially discharged from their duties in World War Two. He spent much of his time in the service stationed in Korea, saying the extreme weather and shortage of provisions left much to be desired.

“Korea was no picnic, I’ll tell you that,” he said. “I remember food being a problem—a lot of the time we didn’t have enough of it, and sometimes, we didn’t have any. I also remember the negative-30-degree nights spent walking around on guard duty,” said Little.

He joined the Army almost immediately after graduating high school in Canton, Ohio, and left the service in March of 1948. After that, he enrolled at Notre Dame where he became an architect, and Little said it was his career that caused him to stay in this area. Though not a citizen of Enon-proper, Little and his wife Marilyn live in Mad River Township, just down the road from Greenon High School, in a house Little designed to look “different from all the others around,” he said.

Little said that after getting sick in the Army, they “turned me into a medic” upon his recovery. He also fell extremely ill after returning home from Korea, as he was diagnosed with malaria soon after his return. Little said even though he hunkered down under nets covered in high-grade chemical insect repellent, one of the little buggers must have slipped through and bitten him, which ultimately caused the condition that took six months to recover from.

Little and his wife Marilyn have been married for 62 years, and have five children together. His wife and some of his children were there Saturday night to welcome him and all the other returning veterans home from their trip, which Little considered to be the best part of the entire day.

“That was unbelievable!” he said of the fanfare with which he was met while arriving back in Dayton that night. “I was so shocked at the amount of people who wanted to shake my hand,” he marveled.

“It almost brought tears to my eyes—I got a little choked up—and I don’t cry easy,” he said. “And then when that little boy ran up and gave me an American Flag—I got choked up again!”

He praised all of the day’s stops at the World War Two, Vietnam, Korean, and Marines’ memorials, as well as the Changing of the Guard held at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.

“I hadn’t seen the memorials before, and the last time I’d been to D.C. was when I was a senior in high school. I’m 88,” he said.

Little became acquainted with Honor Flight Dayton during the Veterans’ Day celebration held at Greenon High School in November. There, Little said he received information about how to sign up for a trip, and was glad that he had taken part in the experience.

Gene and Marilyn were both genuinely touched by the dozens of letters he received during the “mail call” portion of the trip, where flight administrators pass out envelopes stuffed with letters and notes to each veteran on board. He marveled at the number of letters he received from not only his friends and family members, but from students in the Greenon district and throughout the county.

“We spent the better part of Sunday morning going through all the letters,” he said. “And that brought tears to my eyes again,” he added, insisting that he’s not one for displaying emotions, but was so touched by the trip that he wavered just a bit.

Little said it is significant for civilians to know how much their gratitude is appreciated by active servicemen and veterans alike, and extended his sincere thanks to the hundreds of people who came out Saturday night to see him return. “All those people who haven’t been in the military—I don’t think they realize just how much it means to us when they shake our hand or thank us for our service.”

“It took me awhile to calm down, but when I did, I fell asleep and I was out,” he said of finally returning to his home after a whirlwind day.

After all, veterans and guardians on Honor Flight trips are awake for nearly 24 hours when they arrive home, as they have to arrive at the airport around 3 a.m. on Saturday morning, and do not return back to Dayton until around 11 p.m., if they don’t encounter any delays. Adding in travel and prep time, that puts most of the travelers awake for an entire day, but it is more common for the younger guardians to show their fatigue compared to the veterans when they land back in Dayton, as the vets are running on sheer adrenaline and good vibes from the hundreds of well-wishers who flock to the airport to witness the group’s return.

Billy O’Dell, 87, is an Enon resident who also flew on Saturday’s trip. While O’Dell agreed that the welcome-home ceremony was pretty special, he noted that the whole day in the nation’s capital was even more memorable, as his granddaughter Macey was at his side the entire time.

Macey, a senior at Greenon High School, accompanied her grandfather as his guardian for the day, as all veterans are assigned someone to travel with them from start to finish.

O’Dell is a veteran of the Navy and the Air Force. He first joined the Navy in 1946 and then transferred to the Air Force in 1954. Born in Missouri, O’Dell came to this area to work at Wright-Patterson, and ultimately retired there. His daughter, Deena O’Dell-Hardy, got him interested in going on an Honor Flight when her father-in-law Lloyd Hardy, also of Enon, went on a flight last year. Deena said she tried to arrange for the two men to go on the same flight together, but it didn’t work out that way.

She said her daughter Macey found the trip to be very rewarding—saying she thought it was “very tiring, but she’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

O’Dell said he believes Macey also learned a lot from the trip through being around so many veterans and significant American landmarks.

“We’re better companions now than we were before this,” he said of his beloved granddaughter. “I’m crazy about all of my grandkids.”

O’Dell said he was so impressed by the day’s events that he recommends any eligible veteran to sign up for a future trip.

“I won’t ever forget this,” he said. “I think every veteran should get an opportunity to go on one of these—I think it was fabulous.”

Honor Flight Dayton is accepting all veterans who served during World War Two or the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, regardless of where the service was performed. Veterans of World War Two are given preference over others for obvious reasons, but the waiting period to be selected for a flight has become rather speedy in recent years. To apply for an Honor Flight trip, which is completely free to veterans and includes three meals, snacks, and medical observation, call 937-322-4448, or visit www.honorflightdayton.org.

Veterans and civilians alike are invited to attend the homecoming ceremony for the April 30 trip, which will be held around 10 p.m. that night in the main terminal of the Dayton International Airport. No reservations are required, and parking is free for those welcoming the veterans home.