It was the trip of a lifetime for two local World War II soldiers.

Army Air Corps veteran Kenny Kjelstrup, 90, and Navy veteran Roy Bloom, 88, returned June 17 tired but elated from a two-day visit to the National World War II Memorial and other sites in Washington, D.C.

“You know it was like the kids say — ‘It was awesome,’” Bloom said with a laugh. “Those monuments are beautiful.”

He and Kjelstrup, both of Kalispell, left Billings on June 15 with more than 90 other veterans on the first trip organized and sponsored by Big Sky Honor Flight, a chapter of the national nonprofit group based in Billings.

“That was one of the most spectacular volunteer groups that I have ever experienced,” Kjelstrup said. “They were very skilled and professional. We never had a moment of delay.”

Logistics of taking nearly 100 elderly and a few terminally ill veterans across the country included hauling along more than 50 wheelchairs and recruiting medical providers to handle emergencies and special needs such as the dozen people dependent on oxygen tanks.

Volunteers saw them on and off airplanes and buses on a jam-packed itinerary that included Arlington National Cemetery and other museums and memorials.

For Kjelstrup and Bloom, preparations for the visit began three years ago when they returned questionnaires for the trip. Kjelstrup said his arrived unsolicited while Bloom said his wife Phyllis requested his application and filled it out after reading in the Inter Lake about another veteran who had an amazing visit through the national Honor Flight organization.

“I figured he deserved to go,” she said.

Questions asked for some details of their service, which for Bloom included surviving the sinking of the USS Drexler after three Japanese pilots flew their planes into the ship off Okinawa in May 1945. One of the last off the ship, he swam through oil and fire until he had no more strength, but was saved when a sailor pulled him into a life raft.

Kjelstrup flew B-17 and B-29 bombers in North Africa and other places he said he didn’t want to talk about. He was in college in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps in Billings when he left to join the Army Air Corps as a second lieutenant and later retired as a lieutenant colonel.

“I was 20 years old and they called me an old man,” he said, laughing.

More than two and a half years passed after filling out their applications before they learned they were to become part of the first group sponsored by Big Sky Honor Flight. Bloom, his wife and Kjelstrup all attended a pre-flight briefing in Missoula to learn about the trip.

“Nothing in the meeting could possibly prepare you for what actually happened,” Kjelstrup said.

Both were impressed that Angel Flight Pilot Greg Smith of Lewistown volunteered to fly them from Kalispell to Billings. After a night’s rest in a hotel, Kjelstrup said they got to the airport at 6 a.m. with special hats, T-shirts and jackets identifying them as Honor Flight veterans.

At Logan International Airport, they boarded a chartered 737 Sun Country flight, then flew to Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

“Unbeknownst to us, they gave a double water cannon blast over the plane,” Kjelstrup said. “There were two, three or four thousand people there waving flags and saying ‘Thank you.’”

Bloom also was amazed at the crowd of people who came to greet them. A band played and people cheered as they disembarked from the plane.

“I never got so many kisses or shook so many hands in my life,” he said.

From Dulles, the veterans all boarded buses for visits to the Lincoln, Vietnam and Korean memorials. They were on the go until 5:30 p.m. when they arrived at the Crystal City Hyatt Regency Hotel in Arlington, Va., to prepare for a banquet that evening.

“We had beautiful rooms,” Bloom said. “It was right across the Potomac River.”

The National World War II Memorial was their first stop on Saturday morning. Kjelstrup was deeply moved by the large monument formed of columns representing each state circled around a fountain that dances with colored lights at night.

“There’s no way to really express it,” he said. “There’s no way you can stand there and not get emotional. I did and still do.”

Bloom did as well.

He was impressed with the beauty of the memorial, yet saddened as memories flooded back of the many buddies he lost among the 158 dead from the sinking of the U.S.S. Drexler. He will never forget the Freedom Wall with 4,048 gold stars glistening in the morning sun.

“Each star represents 100 lives lost and that wall was just covered,” he said. “That was really something.”

According to the memorial’s website, the war ended with 405,399 Americans dead or missing, second only to the loss of more than 620,000 during the Civil War.

Their feelings of reverence continued when they visited the Arlington National Cemetery and the Iwo Jima Memorial. A driving tour followed of sights such as the White House and U.S. Capitol, with a stop at the Roosevelt Memorial.

They departed from Dulles at about 6 p.m. Saturday under double water cannons. Yet another celebration greeted them when they arrived at Billings airport.

“There were a lot of people in Billings when we got back — about 1,000 people at 9 o’clock at night,” Kjelstrup said.

Their Angel Flight pilot Greg Smith flew them back to Kalispell on Sunday. Bloom was glad to get his feet on the ground, describing himself as “not crazy about airplanes.”

Both had nothing but praise for the Big Sky Honor Flight. Bloom said the group had done a wonderful thing for the veterans.

Kjelstrup agreed.

“I feel this is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me,” he said.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.