Area veterans take Honor Flight to Washington DC

Nov. 9—Several Effingham area veterans were among the 90 who flew to Washington D.C. on Nov. 1 aboard the Land of Lincoln Honor Flight.

Among them were Larry Maxwell, 79, of Watson, and Dennis Koester, 72, of Effingham.

Maxwell joined the Illinois National Guard in 1964, serving 25 years. He retired in 1989 with the rank of major.

"There was a draft and I was an only child, with a single mother," Maxwell recalled. "We farmed a little bit. I had to take a physical for the draft. When I came home, we decided I would pursue a career in the National Guard. I went to Springfield to try and get in the Air National Guard. There was a waiting list of probably 200 people. So, I came back to Effingham and stopped in at the Company B Armory in Effingham, and they took me in right away.

"I served six months basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. I went to one summer camp with the unit here in Effingham and decided that wasn't for me. I wanted to be an officer. I signed up in 1966 and started Officer Candidate School in Springfield, Illinois. I graduated that in 1967.

"I became a platoon leader in Company B here in Effingham. I moved up the ranks and became the executive officer here in Effingham in '69 or '70. I made captain and became the company commander of the Mattoon unit, A Company, Second Battalion 130th Infantry, 47th Infantry Division.

"I spent three or four years as company commander and then moved on to Urbana for a staff assignment for the battalion headquarters. This was the Second Battalion. I was S2 for the Second Battalion, which is intelligence officer.

"I spent a few years, then moved to Decatur as the Brigade S2. The 66th Infantry Brigade. From then on, I went to Springfield as a state training officer, and retired in 1989."

Maxwell's time in the Army National Guard included stints keeping watch over Vietnam War protests at the University of Illinois. He was also activated during a trucker strike, and when tornadoes struck Canton, Illinois. He served two tours in Alaska to help train soldiers for winter operations and mountaineering. He also served in what was then West Germany, conducting mission briefings regarding the location of Soviet forces, weapon systems, and so on.

He looks forward to the sign of respect shown veterans every Nov. 11.

"Veterans Day is where they honor veterans," he said. "I enjoy Veterans Day. I'm very patriotic. I think America is the greatest place on earth. I'm glad that they honor the veterans at least one day a year. They've served their country. And at least they're recognized."

He signed up for the Honor Flight two years ago. But then it was canceled during the pandemic. In August he learned that they were resuming.

"I said I'd love to go," he said.

The night before the flight out of Springfield, VFW Post 755 hosted a dinner of fried chicken with all the fixings for the veterans, who were also given a shirt and cap to commemorate the flight.

"This is one thing I recommend to all veterans," Maxwell said. "Take this trip. It doesn't cost you a dime to take it. Just to see the Mall and the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument and the Capitol Building. We saw the White House from a distance away. You just can't imagine unless you go there — it is impressive."

The Vietenam Veterans Memorial was emotional for many during the tour.

"I couldn't believe how the war memorial was set up," Maxwell said. "There's one date on it, 1959 when it starts with the first person killed in the war. Then everyone was right in order when they were killed. But there's no dates there. Just the names. You really have to do your research to find someone you knew. I was lucky. I didn't know anyone who was killed. It just goes forever."

Arlington National Cemetery was also sobering.

"You can't realize how many tombstones there are," Maxwell said. "Just wave after wave of tombstones. And somebody buried under each one of them."

"The highlight of the whole trip was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the changing of the guard. That was the most emotional thing that I think I've probably seen. There's a strip in front of the Unknown Soldier. And the guard takes 21 steps, turns and waits 21 seconds, turns again and waits another 21 seconds and takes off marching."

Returning home was also special for the veterans.

"The reception line was for the veterans of Vietnam that never had a warm welcome home from Vietnam like they did from the Second World War, with ticker tape parades," Maxwell said. "We got to Springfield and there was a line with people holding signs and everything: 'Welcome Home.' I just couldn't believe there were so many people there. The Shriners were there, the VFW, the American Legion. All kinds of different organizations. School kids were there. And of course your family's there."

Dennis Koester

Koester was drafted into the Army and served in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970, retiring with the rank of Spc. 5.

"I was picked to run a radar screen in a plane," he said. "To find enemy contacts. I was flying mainly night missions. I did not have hand-to-hand combat or anything like that."

He is proud to have served.

"I'd describe the Army as very good because I was a small-town country boy from Effingham," Koester said. "They taught me how to run a radar screen. How to do navigation in a plane. That was my job over there. I would find enemy targets at night. Anything that was moving at night.

"It's the best thing that's ever happened to me, actually. The Army, they treated me really, really good. And they always have."

Veterans Day is important to Koester, too.

"It's very important," he said. "Since I'm retired now, I'm planning on getting into more of the VFW and American Legion work. It always has been very important to me.

"That's what this Honor Flight was trying to recognize — all the soldiers that didn't get recognized when they came home. It was a great experience."

It was certainly emotional.

"At times it was emotional — especially on the return home. You walk through a line of people and they all want to shake your hand and they all want to congratulate you. It is very emotional.

"A lot of us were Vietnam vets. And there were Korean vets. We even had a World War II veteran on our plane — once of the few that's left. We recognized him every time we visited a World War II memorial. He appreciated it. He was in very good shape, actually. It went really well. They do a wonderful job on the tour."

He had seen the traveling Vietnam War Memorial that came through Illinois a few years ago. But this was the first time seeing the original in Washington.

"This was the first time I've ever been to Washington to see that," Koester said. "I knew a few of the names on the wall."

To learn more about the Honor Flight, visit landoflincolnhonorflight.org/#/Home

Effingham Daily News Editor Jeff Long can be reached at jeff.long@effinghamdailynews.com or 217-347-7152. Follow him on Twitter @EDN_editor