Photo by Jody Isaackson Elmer Koopman and Roger Nelson had enjoyed Honor Flights to Washington, D.C. this year as part of a veteran’s recognition program. Koopman’s trip had been delayed due to a heart episode that required a triple bypass.

IVANHOE — Two members of the Lincoln County Post 2980 in Ivanhoe had the rare privilege of participating in Honor Flights recently.

Elmer Koopman and Roger Nelson had been scheduled to fly out together on their “last tour” as it was billed by Keloland from Sioux Falls, S.D. They had been set to fly out on Mission Two that left May 15, but Koopman ended up catching the later flight, one that flew Sept. 25, because of a heart episode at the Sioux Falls Airport before boarding. Koopman’s mission was scrubbed as he ended up in Sanford Hospital.

“I ended up in the hospital,” Koopman said. “It was a good thing I passed out at the terminal. Then they found the blockage. If I had gone on that flight it could have been a disaster.”

On June 25, Koopman underwent a three-way bypass while at Sanford.

“While I was lying there (at the terminal), they were already telling me I was on the top of the lists for the next flight,” Koopman said. “There were already 350 names on the list for that flight. Now, there’s 500 on the list for the next one.”

Having gone through 10 weeks of therapy following the surgery, Koopman says he’s “back to normal.”

Every veteran on those trips needed a guardian. Koopman’s son, Randy Koopman of Boston, Mass., served as his guardian. The veterans traveled free of charge thanks to sponsors and donors. However, the guardians were required to pay $600 for the trip, Elmer Koopman said. Everyone had also received a free commemorative T-shirt to wear on the tour to help identify them as part of the tour group. Koopman and Nelson also purchased commemorative hats.

Nelson didn’t know about the guardian requirement until he was at the reception banquet in Washington, D.C., the night before the tour, he said. However, he was assigned one by the program. Roger Bahrenfuss of Sioux Center, Iowa, was the volunteer to take that role.

“It was quite a coincidence that we both had the same first name,” Nelson said. “It was so hot and humid there that there were wheelchairs available for all the veterans.”

Nelson and Koopman were impressed by the gold star treatment they received. They were welcomed wherever they went, from their arrival at the airport to their return to Sioux Falls. There were even political personalities there, Nelson said.

While in Washington, D.C., both men experienced similar tours. They were able to visit several monuments and memorials as well as Arlington National Cemetery.

“We saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” Nelson said. “We saw a lengthy and impressive ceremony for the changing of the guard. We visited all the war memorials: the Marine Corps Memorial, Air Force Memorial, Navy Memorial and drove by the Capitol – but didn’t go in.”

They also visited the Washington Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Korean (War) Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial – but didn’t go inside the Lincoln Memorial, Nelson said.

“We saw the Vietnam Wall,” Koopman said.

“The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial took up half a block,” Nelson said, “and it’s the only memorial with a statue of an animal, President Roosevelt’s dog, Fala.”

Both Honor Flights included members from other wars than the ones Koopman and Nelson had served in, including some terminally-ill veterans from more recent wars, Koopman said.

The two men shared their military history. Both men had also done a short tour overseas during their service times.

Nelson was an installer and repairman who took turns on the switchboard in the command center when his unit was on maneuvers in the desert in Texas. Nelson was an E-4 Corporal who spent 10 months in southwest Germany and was in the service from July 1951 to July 1953. He was with the 596 Signal Support Unit.

Koopman was a staff sergeant and aircraft mechanic specializing in propellers for the B-36 Bombers.

“The propellers were 13 feet long,” he said.

Koopman’s service time was from April 1952 to April 1956 during which time he served with the 28th Wing Field Maintenance Unit, stationed primarily at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Sioux Falls and four months in Guam.

Koopman and Nelson said they highly recommended veterans apply for the Final Tour through their county veterans service officers. There is an application form to complete and copies of their discharged papers will be required, but the trip was worth it, they said.