WASHINGTON —

When the flight carrying a group of World War II veterans from Central Oregon to Washington, D.C., landed in Denver, it was saluted by two fire trucks, which sprayed arcing jets of water on either side of the plane.

When the veterans disembarked at Dulles International Airport, the airport’s halls were lined with people who burst into applause.

“It was almost the feeling that I had when the war was over,” said Garlow Wright, 87, of Baker City, who served in the Philippines during the war. “It was exhilarating.”

It may have taken almost 70 years, but the World War II veterans — including this group from Central Oregon — are finally getting their due. They traveled to Washington, D.C., from Oregon thanks to the Honor Flight Network, a national program that aims to bring as many living World War II veterans as possible to visit the memorial built in their honor. The Eastern Oregon chapter is run by the Bend Heroes Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises money so the veterans can make the journey free of charge.

But the veterans are not here to take a victory lap. Even though they’ve been famously labeled the greatest generation, they refuse to look upon themselves as heroes, instead claiming simply that they did the jobs their country called on them to do in a time of great need.

The group — 50-plus strong, with 27 veterans each accompanied by a “guardian” to offer assistance — breakfasted Friday with Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., before breaking into four squadrons — red, white, blue and gold — and touring the Capitol.

But even before they made their way inside, the Capitol, with its white dome looming against a clear blue sky, inspired awe. This group included 14 who served in the Navy, 11 from the Army, and one each from the Army Air Corps and the Merchant Marine.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see that,” said Navy veteran Henry Potts, who served aboard a transport ship that carried 8,000 troops at a time. “That’s what we were fighting for.”

35,000 World War II veterans in Oregon

More than 16 million Americans served during WWII, and roughly 2 million of them are still alive. About 35,000 WWII veterans are left in Oregon (out of almost 148,000 who served), with about 2,000 in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties. Roughly half of those can’t travel because of health problems, and the goal of the Honor Guard of Central Oregon is to get at least 100 veterans to Washington, said Dick Tobiason, president of the Bend Heroes Foundation.

Throughout the day, strangers wandered up to the group, wanting to shake hands and offer their thanks. Some wanted to pose for pictures, and one group of schoolchildren asked for autographs.

“It’s more than I expected, to have so many people appreciate us,” said Paul Lesher, 87, of Bend. Lesher was awarded the Bronze Star for throwing a grenade at a German machine gun nest, saving his comrades. “It’s sort of uplifting to visit with your friends who went through some of the same things you did.”

Ray Swee, 84, of Bend, said he doesn’t consider himself a hero, but a hero worshipper of those who served with distinction, including his older brothers, who fought in Africa and Italy and flew bombing missions over Germany.

His daughter, Noelle Wood, accompanied him on the trip.

“I am honored to be here,” she said. “This is living history that we’re losing.”

Swee was in basic training when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He helped rebuild Japan during the postwar occupation.

“To me, the occupation of Japan was a complete success. I’ve got pictures of GIs meeting kids in the street,” he said. “I guess I’d like to see something like that in the Middle East.”

The newest crop of veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan are never far from the older soldiers’ thoughts.

Support, camaraderie

A “Band of Brothers” group meets weekly for breakfast at Jack’s Truck Stop on the outskirts of Bend, and all veterans of any conflict are welcome. There are no membership dues, no club officers running the show — just conversation, coffee and camaraderie.

Some veterans are hesitant to talk about their wartime experiences except with other veterans, said Bend resident Jack Cooper, who served in the Navy during WWII.

“They don’t even tell their families how they feel,” Cooper said, which is why it is important for the older veterans to support the younger generation.

“We help them, and they help us,” he said. “We need them to know that we’re 100 percent behind them.”

Eileen Girardy, a Navy cryptology technician from Gladstone who is stationed in Maryland, volunteered to meet the veterans’ flight and joined them again at the memorial.

Girardy, who has been in the Navy for nine years and has been deployed to the Middle East several times, said she was honored and humbled to spend time with the group.

“They did what they did so I could be here,” she said. “To follow in their footsteps in some level — I can’t tell you how good it is to be here [with them].”

Greeted by Bob Dole

At the memorial, the group was greeted by former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., who was seriously wounded himself during the war. Lt. Gen. Nick Kehoe (Ret.), president of the National Medal of Honor Society, also welcomed the group, which included Bend resident and Medal of Honor recipient Bob Maxwell.

“I want to thank you all for your service,” Dole said. “We’re all in the same fraternity, and we’re not getting any younger.”

The circular memorial, with a pillar for every state surrounding a central fountain, occupies an impressive piece of real estate on the National Mall, directly between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. The Jefferson Memorial sits just across the Tidal Basin.

Once at the site, any hint of resentment at having to wait until 2004 to be honored with a national memorial quickly dissolved as the visitors took in the grandeur.

Glenn Plato, of Lakeview, joined the Navy before the war started and served for the duration. He was aboard the USS Lexington when it was sunk on May 8, 1942, during the Battle of Coral Sea, and the captain gave the order to abandon ship.

“That was the battle that stopped the Japanese in their advancement,” he said. He spent several hours in the water wondering how he was going to get out of his predicament before he was rescued.

“It’s all history right now,” he said, choking up slightly. “It makes me proud that I served.”

Photos by Andrew Clevenger / The Bulletin

Glenn Plato, of Lakeview, inspects the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Together with 26 other World War II veterans who served in the Army, Navy, Army Air Corps and Merchant Marine, Plato traveled from Oregon for a four-day visit as part of the Honor Flight of Central Oregon.

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole,who was wounded in Italy in 1945, at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., with Bend resident Bob Maxwell. Maxwell received of the Medal of Honor after he threw himself on a hand grenade to save his comrades in France in 1944.