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By Meredith Carroll,
Statesman Examiner, Colville, WA
Between 1955 and 1975, an estimated 3.4 million American service members served in the Southeast Asia Theater during the Vietnam War (data.va.gov).
Among those who served were the five Thueringer brothers, originally from Plaza, ND, all of whom returned from Vietnam safely. Four of them live in Stevens County, WA, and all of them were honored on April 28th and 29th with an Inland NW Honor Flight to Washington D.C.  
T.R. Thueringer, 80, served in Vietnam from 1965-1967 as a helicopter mechanic and door gunner. He lives in Colville. Tom Thueringer, 79, served two tours from 1964-1968 as a Morse code intercept operator. He lives in Chattaroy. Steve Thueringer, 78, served two tours from 1968-1970 as an infrared operator. He lives in Parshall, ND, near the brothers’ hometown. Terry, 76, served from 1969-1972 in communications, setting up and taking down towers. He lives in Colville. Allen, 74, served from 1970-1972 as an artillery gunner. He lives in Colville.
The Inland Northwest Honor Flight is a hub of the Honor Flight Network and was founded in 2009.
“The mission of Honor Flight is to celebrate America’s Veterans by inviting them to share a day of honor at our nation’s memorials,” explained Linda Peters, one of the seven board members for Honor Flight. “Honor Flight is a non-profit organization that provides this special trip at no cost for the vets. We have trips twice per year, in October and April.”
When Allen Thueringer heard about the Honor Flight, he broached the idea to his brothers, and they all tossed the idea around for a bit before getting on the waiting list. The opportunity for the five of them to go together to the capitol was an honor in itself, but for the five of them to go together would be amazing. The brothers were on the waiting list for one and a half years.
“On the Honor Flight that took place last week, there were 90 vets on board,” said Peters. “There were 89 Vietnam vets and one Korean War veteran. Four of the vets were women. Every veteran gets a guardian to accompany him or her. The guardians have a very important job caring for the veteran travelers who need assistance. Guardians pay their own way.”
Tom felt the camaraderie with the other veterans from the moment he stepped onto the plane. “You can tell just by looking that here is someone you can trust with your life. You can tell that these are people who would die for each other,” he said.
“On the flight to D.C. you could tell that there was a connection,” agreed Allen. “In Vietnam, I was best friends with the people on my gun crew. I’m still in touch with a couple of them.”
Although the Thueringer brothers have remained very close over the years, until the Honor Flight, it had been almost 20 years since they had all been together at the same time. 
The five brothers all volunteered for service, rather than wait for the draft. Allen volunteered, because he knew that the draft would get him at some point. Their mother had a map of Vietnam on the wall back home. She would mark on the map where the five brothers were at any time. With one exception, each brother was at a different location in Vietnam at any given time.
“There was a time when T.R. and I were at the same base at the same time,” said Tom. “Since T.R. was visiting, he had to check all his weapons at the armory. The base got hit right after that.”
One of the stops for the veterans while visiting Washington D.C. was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial which features a wall that is inscribed with the names of those who died in service. There are more than 58,000 names on that wall.
 “I was disappointed,” said Terry. “I looked at the wall and couldn’t find anyone. We all called each other by last names only, and none of it looked familiar.”
The Honor Flight itinerary also included the World War Two Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Women’s Memorial, the White House, and the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. The ceremony is a 30-minute ceremony performed by the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment to honor the Unknown Soldiers.
The Thueringers were in agreement that the changing of the guard was a humbling experience. “That’s all they do, 24 hours a day,” Tom said. “The cemetery is over one square mile. Endless crosses. 400,000 burials. They bury 25 a day. And each of those headstones is a story. Those soldiers never made it home.”
“I remember waiting for my transport home from Vietnam,” T.R. added. “I saw them loading body bags. I was thinking I’m going home, and so are they. But I’m going to walk off that airplane, and they are not.”
The brothers also agreed on how they were received upon their return home from the war in Vietnam. Not only was there a lack of welcome, but people were cold and hostile. There were no heroes-welcome parades such as returning veterans experienced in WWII. 
“When we got back from the war, we weren’t treated very good,” said Steve. “Until the Honor Flight, I wouldn’t even wear clothes showing I’d been in the Army. Now, after this experience, I’m more open to it.”
 “When I got back to Fort Lewis, no one welcomed us home,” agreed T.R. “I remember only one person showing up for me. But this… The Honor Flight. They all welcomed up home to Spokane. It made such a big difference. There were people there to shake our hands.”
“Vietnam vets did not get a very good welcoming when they returned home,” explained Peters. “At Honor Flight, we make up for that. We are very honored to do this for them.”
Upon the Honor Flight’s return to Spokane on April 29th, there were between 800-1000 people waiting to celebrate the veterans’ arrival. The plane was delayed on the tarmac for one and a half hours, yet all of the people waiting to celebrate the veterans waited for them. Inside Spokane’s airport, the Medical Lake High School band was playing, there were Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Newer veterans and scouts saluted the returning veterans.
“They all said welcome home,” said Terry. “They didn’t do that before, when we came home from the war.”
“And those boys held the salute until we returned it,” said Tom. “My favorite part were the cadets that saluted us.” 
The veterans of Honor Flight were also surprised about two hours into the flight with Mail Call. During the war, Mail Call was more than just mail to the soldiers. It was a lifeline and an escape for them. In advance of the Honor Flight, Peters and the other volunteers arranged for mail to be delivered to each veteran. Everyone received mail from family, friends, and fourth graders, as well as care packages consisting of snacks, hand sanitizer, and other goodies.
“The Honor Flight experience is a wonderful, healing experience,” said Peters. “The veterans don’t have to pay for a single thing. I have been on more than ten trips, all of them working trips. We make sure that the hotel they stay in is excellent, the bathrooms are all clean, and we take excellent care of the veterans. This can be a difficult trip for them emotionally, and we have on staff a chaplain, a trauma counselor, and trained people who can help walk the vets through any anxiety. For most of these veterans, the pain never goes away.”
The Thueringer brothers continue to relive the pain and trauma associated with their time in Vietnam. Allen and T.R. still feel naked without their guns. Tom feels the instinct to find a bunker whenever he hears sirens go off. 
“You never get over that,” said Steve. “We went through a lot over there. I had to be medevaced out. I had to see psychiatrists and go to group meetings. You shoot someone one day, and they next day you’re home on the sidewalk.”
Allen is still dealing with how, the night after he was discharged, he saw on the news that the base he had just left was overrun by the Viet Cong.
“And I had five days left of flying before discharge,” said T.R. “I still wanted to fly, but they said I had to stay behind and repair the helicopter. The bird I was supposed to be on was blown up.”
The Thueringer brothers will never get over their experiences as soldiers in Vietnam. But the five of them agree that this trip provided a gift that extended beyond what the  Honor Flight gave them. They made friends and established connections. 
“This trip made a big difference,” said T.R. “Especially the homecoming.”
All of the brothers emphatically agreed. But there were a few other little perks, too.
“None of us had to spend any money,” said Allen. “I think I spent $3.00 for a cup of coffee.”
“I bought a Red Bull,” agreed Steve.
“We had a lot of bathroom stops,” added Tom. “Very important.”
Now that the Honor Flight is over, the Thueringer brothers aren’t sure if they will ever get a chance for the five of them to be together again. “We’re all getting old, and it might not happen,” said Allen. “This trip was a chance for us brothers to be together for what might be the last time.”
Veterans who are interested in going on an Honor Flight can fill out an application. Each flight can accommodate 90-100 veterans. Right now, there are approximately 150-180 vets on the list.
For more information about Honor Flight or to get an application, visit honorflight.org for the national website.