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thedrifter
11-03-07, 07:08 AM
Veterans honored with flight to World War II memorial
By Greg Jonsson
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Saturday, Nov. 03 2007

Lloyd Stevens helped target artillery fire on German positions during World War
II's Battle of the Bulge — at least when he could make anything out in the
thick fog.

C. James Spinale ended up on Iwo Jima, servicing fighter planes that escorted
bombers headed for Tokyo. Joe DiCampo helped construct buildings on Peleliu in
the Pacific with the Marines.

Then they, and hundreds of thousands of others, came home. They became bankers
and teachers, got married and had families. Maybe they shared a story or two
about their war experiences, but mostly they went about the business of living
their lives.

"After you've been over it once or twice, nobody wants to talk about it much,"
said Dan Kansteiner, 82, a World War II veteran from O'Fallon, Mo.

Today, these and other local veterans the from deadliest conflict in history
will join compatriots from across the country in Washington to see the World
War II memorial, part of an effort to honor veterans of the war.

The group of St. Louis-area World War veterans set to leave from Lambert
Airport early this morning is the first from the area to be flown by a national
network called Honor Flight to see the memorial that opened in 2004. Honor
Flight chapters around the country use donations to transport, feed and house
the veterans for free, with the goal of getting as many veterans to see the
memorial before they are gone.

"These veterans are dying at a rate of 1,200 a day," said Jim Tayon, part of
the Franklin County Honor Flight chapter, believed to be the first in the
state. "This memorial came late for them."

Tayon and others in Union formed the chapter after hearing about Honor Flight
about a month ago. They hustled to set up today's trip because the next Honor
Flight date isn't until April.

"Some of these guys might not be around in April," said Tayon, 68, an Air Force
veteran.

They put together today's group of seven veterans from people who had submitted
their names on the Honor Flight website, www.honorflight.org. They also looked
a little closer to home.

Stevens, the 93-year-old Army veteran who pinpointed German targets during the
Battle of the Bulge, taught algebra and other math classes in the Ritenour
School District. There, he was Tayon's teacher, and the two have kept in touch.

DiCampo, 83, of Creve Coeur, heard about Honor Flight from his son and got
longtime friend Kansteiner to join up as well. The two attended Normandy High
School together and both joined up — DiCampo in the Marines and Kansteiner in
the Navy — after graduating in 1943.

Computer-savvy Spinale, the 84-year-old veteran from the Hill who ended up on
Guam and Iwo Jima and then in the Philippines with the Army Air Forces, found
Honor Flight's website on his own and signed up.

The men will fly into Baltimore, meet up with veterans from other places, and
take buses to Washington. The group from St. Louis will return tonight; others
from the West Coast spend the night. They can bring money for souvenirs and
such, but otherwise all expenses are paid by Honor Flight.

"I really am looking forward to it," Spinale said Friday night from his home in
Webster Groves. "Hopefully I can meet some people who were in the Pacific
theater, like I was, and I'm really looking forward to seeing that wonderful
memorial that was built in our honor. It's my wallpaper on my computer."

But while the men want to see the memorials on the National Mall, some are most
looking forward to seeing one another.

"The camaraderie of getting together with some of the old guys" will be the
best part, DiCampo said. "I think it's going to be great. I even dug up an old
dog tag to wear. It'll probably buzz when I get on the airplane."

The local Honor Flight group plans to put together another trip in April. In
the meantime, they hope to step up fundraising; the national network paid for
expenses for this first trip.

The group also wants to hear from veterans who want to travel to Washington.
But the group won't take donations from any of them — Honor Flight says
veterans have already given enough.

gjonsson@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8253

Ellie