Miles Crook of rural Putnam County shared his Honor Flight experience with the Chief Senachwine Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution at their May 2 meeting.

Crook traveled to Washington, D.C., on April 7 with 70 other military veterans, their guardians, doctors, nurses and assistants. His son, Alford Crook, served as his guardian on the trip.

“There wasn’t a detail left undone,” Crook said of the experience.

The group departed from Gen. Wayne A. Downing International Airport in Peoria and was greeted by buses in Washington ready for a tour of memorials. Among the stops was the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, where the group participated in a Changing of the Guard Ceremony and placed a wreath. Nearby, they visited the Pentagon’s 9/11 Memorial, which commemorates the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the building.

The group also toured the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and visited several memorials on the National Mall, including the Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and World War II Memorial. Another stop was the Navy Memorial, located between the White House and the U.S. Capitol.

On the return flight, the veterans received music and letters of gratitude for their service. The Chief Senachwine Chapter will present gifts and a chapter honorarium in Crook’s name to Peoria Honor Flight.

Crook, who served in the National Guard, said the entire trip was well-organized from start to finish, including a police escort to the airport and a welcoming return reception.

Following Crook’s presentation, Chapter Regent Jean Galetti reported that the chapter received 18 awards at the Illinois DAR State Conference on April 24-26. She also noted that chapter members have donated 140 items to veterans at the La Salle Veterans’ Home.

The next chapter meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 28, at Henry’s First Presbyterian Church’s social room. State Regent Marria Blinn will visit.

For information about the Daughters of the American Revolution, call 815-866-4288 or visit dar.org/membership.