Knoxville — We’ve all seen the Hollywood, glamorized versions of World War II historic moments such as the raising of the flag at Mount Sirabachi on Iwo Jima or storming the beach at Normandy. What sometimes may be glossed over is that there were real soldiers there and some of them can still remember the war like it was yesterday.

Harmon Wilke, 86, of Knoxville, and Kenneth Beebout, 93, of Columbia, were among the 350 World War II veterans who took part in the Hy-Vee Central Iowa Honor Flight last week. The group took a 747 from Des Moines International Airport to Washington, D.C., to observe the memorial built in their honor, as well as other sights.

“We were just treated wonderfully,” says Beebout. Beebout lives on a Century Farm in rural Columbia with wife Evelyn. He enlisted in the Army five days after America declared war on Japan. He was a medical, X-ray technician at the 101st General Hospital.

There, he met every ambulance that came in following the D-Day invasion. His job was to tell the soldiers coming in his name, where they were and that they would be cared for.

Wilke joined the Marines on Jan. 26, 1943. He was a member of the Fourth Marine Division after joining in San Diego, Calif.

Wilke saw his first combat in the Marshall Islands on Jan. 31, 1944. His unit’s job was to secure the various islands in the Pacific to enable Allied troops to take off for missions. Wilke and his unit helped secure Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima. Between the security missions, he was stationed in Maui, Hawaii.

When the photo was snapped of the flag raising on Mount Sirabachi, Wilke was right there. He didn’t think anything of it other than seeing the Stars and Stripes flapping in the wind.

Beebout was scheduled to go into Berlin, Germany, after working at the hospital. Those plans were scrapped when Stalin insisted the Russians be allowed to move into Berlin first.

“It was a terrible mistake,” Beebout said. Eventually, Beebout and his unit became the first Americans into Berlin. One of his duties was to set up special quarters to treat President Harry Truman in case Truman fell ill.

While in Berlin, he also saw the bunker in which Adolf Hitler committed suicide. Beebout says the Germans had maps of United States population centers, with targets marked.

When he was not treating anyone, including Germans and Russians, Beebout was free to move about the country as he pleased. He saw the Olympic stadium where Jesse Owens stunned Hitler and many other places. Beebout retired in October 1945.

Wilke’s division was into artillery. He had several encounters with Japanese soldiers, and got too close to a barn full of weapons. A blast damaged his hearing.

Neither Wilke or Beebout take for granted the fact they were able to make it home. They did not want to sound as if they were great heroes and they do think about their fallen comrades often.

Wilke was discharged on Nov. 6, 1945. He returned to Knoxville and eventually opened the A&W; Restaurant in town, which he operated for years. Wilke has made two previous trips to Washington, but he had not been there since 1980.

In his spare time, he likes to carve things out of wood. He put this talent to use by carving a walking stick in 1992, complete with the dates and locations in which he fought for our country. At the head of the stick is a carving of the famous photo of the flag raising. Wilke’s talent has not been ignored, as he has collected awards from the Iowa State Fair for his work.

The veterans had nothing but positive things to say about their trip to Washington. They arrived in Des Moines the evening of Aug. 10, where they had a nice dinner with their fellow veterans. According to Beebout, the entire experience was free, with the exception of the hotel room.

“All day long, we never hade a chance to buy anything,” Beebout said. That does not mean they went without mementos. Each veteran received a personalized, commemorative plaque from the trip, along with disposable cameras, caps signifying they were World War II veterans and shirts designed for the trip.

Loading the veterans onto the plane and buses took time. The veterans were constantly given water on the hot day, both in Des Moines and Washington, along with meals and snacks.

“It was fabulous,” Wilke said. The veterans did not mind that they had to get up at 1:30 a.m. to be on the plane in time for a 7 a.m. takeoff. Wilke just enjoyed the scenery.

“It was a beautiful sunrise,” he said. On the trip, the veterans saw not only the World War II Memorial, but memorials for the Korean and Vietnam Wars, as well as Arlington National Cemetery. The veterans say the trip was extremely well-organized.

“Everything was just click, click, click,” Wilke said. “Hy-Vee did a wonderful job.”

Hy-Vee sponsored the trip through a $250,000 donation to make it possible for the veterans to enjoy the day. Beebout and Wilke, as well as family members, were impressed with the experience.

“It was a nice way to honor all those people,” Evelyn Beebout said.