Peoria Journal Star May 30, 2004 Memories flood back to Peoria-area veterans By MARCUS STERN of Copley News Service WASHINGTON, D.C. - Noah Hickman of Washington, Ill., choked back tears Saturday as he sat in a sun-splashed sea of chairs on the National Mall between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. The midday sun was strangely gentle as the final minutes ticked away before the dedication of the long-awaited World War II Memorial, a tribute to 16 million men and women who had fought in a global war that ended almost six decades ago. Three-quarters of the veterans were not alive to witness the salute. Many of the 157,000 who did show up for two days of festivities on the National Mall came with the help of canes, walkers, wheelchairs and oxygen tanks. While "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" flowed from loudspeakers Saturday, Hickman, 79, turned his thoughts to two men who couldn't be here - the dead ball-turret gunner on his B-17 bomber and a war buddy who died four days after D-Day. "It's for them," Hickman said, stifling tears. "They were just 19." Hickman, a radio operator and gunner in the 8th Air Force based in England, was among some 200 Peoria-area residents who traveled here by bus for the emotional dedication of the $174 million, seven-acre, granite-and-bronze memorial. It was 17 years in the making, requiring help from Congress, the Supreme Court and about 600,000 private donors. The day became a broader tribute to a generation, now fading in numbers, that grew up during the Great Depression, came of age on the battlefields of Europe and Asia and, as adults, helped build the United States into the world's sole economic and military superpower. "This is a great celebration," said Mel Moehle, 82, of Washington, Ill. He served in the Navy from 1943 to 1945, stationed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Solomons. His wife, Loraine, added a bittersweet note echoed by others, saying her only disappointment was that "too many have passed away" without ever getting a chance to see the memorial. Walter Dunbar, 81, of Peoria was an Army Air Forces navigator on a B-24 Liberator bomber that flew 33 missions from a base in Shipdan, England. He and two others are the only ones left of their 10-man crew. During their second mission, flak knocked out their No. 2 engine. As they limped back to England, six German fighters set upon them. The pilot jerked the plane up and down, dodging German bullets. Miraculously, they survived. While Dunbar was thrilled with Saturday's dedication, he offered a familiar lament. "I'm enjoying pretty good health, but my wife was not able to come, and I would have liked her to be here with me," he said, adding that the "recognition should have come sooner than 59 years." The U.S. Coast Guard Band was playing World War II-era swing music inside a tent on the mall while veterans and their wives took spins on a dance floor. "It brings back a lot of memories," Dunbar said. Ray Bahnfleth, 82, of Peoria was here with his wife, Peg. He was a combat engineer in the South Pacific. During his 3½ years overseas, he helped build airfields, landing strips and bridges. Here in Washington, D.C., he sported a Caterpillar baseball cap, reflecting the 42 years he worked at a Caterpillar plant. The bulldozers he used during the war were Caterpillar's, he said. He scoured the collection of World War II vehicles displayed on the mall for Caterpillar equipment. His search ended in disappointment. The Bahnfleths met before the war. When the war ended, his unit was just preparing for what might have been the first wave of U.S. ground forces into Japan. Had that happened, he might not have come home, he said. Youthful soldiers went off to war filled with a sense of invincibility, his wife, Peg, said. So did many of the young women left behind. "I just expected Ray to come back," she said. When he did, their lives moved on. "We never even thought about a memorial," she said. It was like that for many of the World War II couples. "We were too busy looking to the future," Loraine Moehle said. Deiters Funeral Home helped sponsor the group of 23 who made the trip from Washington, Ill. Proprietor Gary Deiters said the most emotional moment for the veterans came when they entered the reunion tent on Friday. Suddenly, they scattered in different directions, heading to their division bulletin boards. "You could see the anxiety in their faces," Dieters said. "They were wondering, 'Will John's name be up on the board?"' Phil and Lynda Millar aren't old enough to be World War II veterans. They came because "we're patriotic people," she said. They also wanted to check the reunion tent to see if they could make contact with anyone who might have known Phil's uncle, who fought in the war. They did, and they hope to follow up with e-mail. Some seemed overwhelmed by the sight of so many fellow veterans. Nathaniel Judd, 79, of Washington, Ill., served in the Army in Company F, 106th Infantry, 27th Division in the Pacific. Saturday's crowd awed him. "I didn't realize there were this many veterans still around," he said.