COEUR d'ALENE - As Ken Jungjohann peered through binoculars to search for the stark white heads and deep brown feathers of bald eagles sailing over Lake Coeur d'Alene on Saturday afternoon, the room around him was warm and filled with war stories and soft conversation.

In his 90 years, the World War II Navy veteran has seen many things. When he stopped to discuss his experiences, he paused and appeared to be looking back in time.

"What's amazing, what brings it back real fast, is when you hear 'Taps' being played," said Jungjohann, of Coeur d'Alene. "Or the flag going up or the flag coming down."

Five people in Jungjohann's family enlisted in the service during the war, including his twin sister who was a cadet nurse. His dad, who fought in WWI, re-enlisted in the service after his older brother George, a "90-day pilot," was killed.

"My mother had four flags with, I think, a white star and blue background, and then there was one flag with a gold star, and she'd hang them in the windows to signify us servicemen," he said. "The gold was for my brother, who was lost."

Jungjohann was among four WWII veterans who were passengers on the sixth annual Veterans Eagle Watch Cruise, an event organized and facilitated by the Bureau of Land Management, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Lake Coeur d'Alene Cruises. The boat was also filled with veterans of different eras, including Korea and Vietnam, along with active military and their families. It was a free and informational cruise out to Wolf Lodge Bay with eagle presentations provided by wildlife education specialist Beth Paragamian.

Suzanne Endsley, BLM's public affairs specialist, said the veterans cruise is one of the greatest events of the year because it gives veterans and those currently serving an opportunity to see America's national bird as well as Coeur d'Alene's naturally beautiful landscapes. It also gives them a chance to socialize.

"I love it when they get on board and most everybody has some kind of identifier, whether it's a shirt, a sweatshirt or a hat, about the branch that they served in or the unit they were in," she said. "They start to form these little friendships and relationships just because they've kind of been down the same roads together, a lot of them."

Much applause was heard when veterans and military members were asked to stand when their service branch was called. Many people stood and clapped when the four attending WWII veterans - Jungjohann, Wallace Heaton, Hazel Holmes and Paul Foeller - were brought to the front of the crowd for a photo and a moment to share something about themselves and their experiences.

"Army Air Corps," Foeller said. "It didn't exist after WWII, but that's how it went."

"I was raised up here in North Idaho, decided I wanted to see the world so I joined the Navy," Holmes said, causing cabin-wide laughter when she explained she wound up a yeoman second-class at Farragut Naval Station.

"I was put on a destroyer," Heaton said. "We were in the Invasion of Borneo, part of the Philippines. Then we came back through the Panama Canal to the South Boston Navy Yard ... I was in the engine room."

About 10 adult and juvenile bald eagles were seen on the afternoon cruise, which was several more than veterans on the morning cruise boat had seen.

"They're such a majestic bird," said John Richter of Post Falls. "It's just great that the bureau could do this."

Richter is a Vietnam vet who also worked on a destroyer. He served from 1961-66.

"I was on the first ship that officially fired on Vietnam," he said. "There was one before that, but it wasn't official, it was a mistake. They were severely reprimanded."

He and his wife, Gwen, enjoyed the eagle cruise and socializing with the other service members and veterans.

"I met Wally Heaton, I mean, he's got to be pushing 90, and you know, he was doing the same kind of stuff that I did, bouncing around in a destroyer in the same area, but (I was) 30 years later," Richter said.

With heartfelt sentiment, Richter explained the sacrifice veterans of all wars make when they enlist in the service.

"Most people say they're patriotic, but veterans write a check with their bodies," he said. "They're putting their lives on the line when they go in. They might not realize it when they sign up on the dotted line, but they'll realize it soon enough. It just makes me feel so proud that people from all walks of life can serve our country."