KALONA

Four times a year, the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight takes veterans and their chaperons to visit our nation’s capitol and military monuments. In May, Kalona resident and veteran servicemember Larry Geno and his son, Joshua, enjoyed the Honor Flight.

“I have known individuals who have participated on past Honor Flights,” Geno says. “Two years ago, I was approached by a person while at a veterans’ function and was told that I was eligible to participate.”

Geno was in the military for over 26 years, having joined the U.S. Air Force in 1973. He was on active duty for four years during the Vietnam War and was trained as a radar repairman.

Following his service in the Air Force, Geno attended Luther College, where he joined the local Army Reserve unit to help pay for his education. While in the reserves, he was a squad leader and a carpenter/mason in a heavy construction engineering unit. During his years of service he took nine trips to Central America for humanitarian projects and spent time in Germany.

Geno was deployed to Iraq in 2003-2004, where he oversaw construction of facilities for deployed soldiers, as well as built roads and runways. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his efforts, and when he returned, he retired from the miliary.

Now a Kalona resident, Geno is involved in many aspects of community life, serving on the Kalona Historical Society Board of Directors, Kalona Planning & Zoning Board, and Kalona Optimists Board of Directors. He is also a member of the Riverside VFW.

On Honor Flights, all honorees are accompanied by Guardians, who ensure veterans have a safe and memorable experience. Geno invited his son, Josh, to accompany him.

Josh “is a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, has retired from the Army, and is a nurse at the Iowa City VA Hospital,” Geno says. “Can you think of a more qualified individual?”

The day started at 5:15 a.m. at the Eastern Iowa Airport, where 87 honorees and 87 guardians completed the final registration for the flight. When they arrived at Reagan International Airport, they loaded onto four busses.

The group first stopped at the World War II Memorial, where the ceremony of Presenting of the Colors was held with each branch of the miliary taking part. They then continued to the Korean War, Vietnam War, and Abraham Lincoln Memorials.

“I found the visitors at the Lincoln Memorial amazing,” Geno says. “There was a group of Arab girls on one side, a few Jewish boys on the other side, a family of South Asians, and a family of Germans who asked me to take their photo. Young people wearing graduation gowns were being photographed, and there were others who spoke languages from other parts of the world.”

On the way to the Air Force Memorial, the tour guide pointed out a blue box with a white roof in a construction area and proclaimed it the Jane Fonda Memorial – a joke that had to be explained to younger members of the group.

“At the Tomb of the Unknown Solider, we witnessed the laying of a wreath and the changing of the guard,” Geno says. “Our tour guide gave us clues as to how commands were given from the commander to the guards during the ceremony since the ceremony is conducted in silence. Then we went to the nearby Marine Corps Memorial, which depicts the second raising of the American flag on Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima.”

Their tour complete, the group returned to the airport and boarded their flight home. While enroute, letters and items from supporters were distributed to the veterans; Geno was surprised to find his wife had asked friends and family to write him notes without him catching on.

When they arrived back in Cedar Rapids about 9 p.m. at night, an overwhelming crowd of 2,000 people was waiting to welcome the honorees home, along with a band and local officials.

“Our family is immensely proud of Larry and his service, as well as our son Joshua’s service,” Geno’s wife, Laura, says.

Two additional Eastern Iowa Honor Flights are planned for this year, on Sept. 23 and Oct. 14. To learn more about how to register, volunteer, or donate, visit eihonorflight.org.