Honor Tour brings generations together

By Staff Sgt. Ian M. KummerNovember 7, 2016

Honor Tour brings generations together
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. -- Four generations of veterans and their families met for a time of reverence and celebration here Nov. 3.

This ceremony was just one stop during the Quad Cities Honor Tour, which took 16 veterans of World War II and the Korean and Vietnam Wars to see local monuments built in their honor.

Honor Flight of the Quad Cities, a chapter of the Honor Flight network, hosts local tours and flights to Washington, D.C., every year.

Volunteers known as "guardians" accompanied the veterans throughout the day. 1st Sgt. Joseph Wertz, first sergeant of First Army's Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, served as one of these guardians.

"It's really cool to get these guys to tell their stories," Wertz said. "Having someone in uniform to talk to really gets these guys to open up."

Stephen Garrington, the hub commander of the Honor Flight of the Quad Cities, emphasized the importance of guardians to a successful tour.

"The Guardians we had to day were all top-notch," Garrington said.

Master Sgt. Rollie Brown, a clinical operations noncommissioned officer with First Army Headquarters, worked as a guardian for Eldon Miller, a Vietnam veteran who lost his eyesight in a training accident.

"[Brown] just did an outstanding job with that man, he was one of the best guardians I have ever seen," Garrington said. "He talked to him, he oriented him, he showed him where everything was."

Several speakers, including Rock Island Arsenal garrison commander, Col. Kenneth Tauke, paid their respects to the veterans and their attending families.

"We take great pride in having this ceremony here at Rock Island," Tauke said.

The ceremony featured a men's choirtette from the Bettendorf High School Concert Choir singing the National Anthem.

"I've heard these folks sing a couple of times before," Tauke said. "You gentlemen do a great job."

Post 26 of the American Legion, based in Davenport, Iowa, provided a ceremonial rifle squad to render honors during the ceremony. Post 26 frequently provides a rifle squad for veteran ceremonies and funerals when requested, or when other assets aren't available.

"Every veteran deserves an honorable service," said Bill MacDougal, the finance officer for Post 26 who served in the Navy in 1962-67 and deployed to Vietnam. It's important to show them the respect they deserve, and that's just one more service the American Legion can do."