The federal government shutdown has entered its second week, putting most of Washington, D.C., on standby, including federal workers all across the nation. Despite this, the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight, a nonprofit charity dedicated to sending veterans to visit historical sites and memorials dedicated to their service, forged ahead without hesitation. 

On Oct. 14, 89 veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the Korean War, and World War II departed from the Eastern Iowa Airport at 7 a.m. and spent their entire day in Washington, D.C.. 

The flight was named Flight 57 for the nonprofit’s 57th flight to the U.S. Capitol. 

In Washington, D.C., the veterans visited the World War II, Korean, Vietnam, Lincoln, 9/11 Pentagon, Marine, and Air Force memorials. The Flight 57 veterans also watched the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 

At the end of their day, the Flight 57 veterans touched down at the Eastern Iowa Airport to find a bustling military parade thrown in their honor. 

Lynette Voss, board president of the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight, received countless calls asking if the government shutdown was going to impact the flight. 

“We’ve been monitoring it closely, along with the National Honor Flight. Honor Flight has 143 hubs across the U.S., so they’ve been watching it closely for us as well; all of the memorials that we plan to visit are still open,” she said. 

Voss said all operations were running smoothly. 

The only portion of the day canceled was a three minute opening ceremony, where a color guard would present the military flags and sing the national anthem. The portion was canceled due to the shutdown, as military personnel are limited to essential duties, such as government events. 

“Our volunteers and participants in the D.C. area at those memorials are doing what they can to make sure that they’re open so that these veterans don’t miss out on this opportunity or have to delay their trip because of [the shutdown],” Voss said. 

To Voss, the flight’s continued operations during the shutdown highlights the volunteering team’s resilience and dedication to the nonprofit’s mission of showing veterans they are cared for. 

RELATED: Iowa City staff say cuts to VA could push system past its breaking point

David Lenoch, an Iowa City U.S. Army veteran on the flight who served during the Vietnam War from 1971 to 1972, shared the same sentiment but was disappointed the capital of his nation was undergoing a shutdown. 

Lenoch spoke on his own behalf without representing the honor flight, an apolitical organization. 

“It’s kind of disappointing that all this had to happen now,” he said. “Our whole schedule is still on, so it’s not gonna screw up our plans, but I’m disappointed with the government being shut down simply because our legislatures can’t sit down and talk about it.”

Lenoch praised the volunteers for seamlessly continuing operations during the shutdown.

“They have done this enough that they got every corner covered,” he said. “You’ve got wheelchairs, chaperones, and you name it. It’s all nonprofit, and I know I’ll  start donating to it because, of course, the trips are expensive. I think it’s another way to say thanks to veterans.”

Each flight costs $130,000, Voss said. Flight 57 was sponsored by the Cedar Rapids Corvette Club, which donated an undisclosed amount to the flight. 

The Honor Flight  Network has flown over 300,000 veterans across the nation. Lenoch had heard of the honor flights before not through the impressive numbers but from his own past. 

His own father served in the Navy in World War II and declined to go on an honor flight due to the fact that he never went overseas during the war.

“He said he didn’t feel like he deserved it,” Lencoch said. “And that’s when I got to thinking, ‘You know what? He deserved it as much as anybody.’ He spent four years there. He took part of his life and helped do what needed to be done.”

Lenoch said that he hopes word of mouth from veterans who have gone on the flight will make such humble veterans less hesitant. 

“This isn’t about what you did, it’s the fact that you were in the service, and you’re being honored a little bit,” he said. 

Voss said she hopes the flight will continue to provide veterans with a thank you they may not have received when they first came back from their service. 

For veterans like Gayland Blakley, a former U.S. Marine from Iowa City, on the flight who served during the Vietnam War from 1972 to 1975, returning home brought much more than the absence of gratitude. 

“When we came home on the U.S.S. Enterprise and got onto the piers in Alameda, California, we had garbage thrown on us and spit on us and people called us all kinds of names,” Blakley said. “That was our welcome home.”

Blakley said he believes Americans have changed their attitudes toward veterans over the years, showing respect over protest, especially considering many Vietnam veterans were forcefully sent through the draft. 

“I hope Honor Flight keeps getting sponsored for all the upcoming veterans to get a chance to go out there,” he said. “More memorials will be built in honor of all wars and so veterans like my son will get to go and see an Iraq Memorial someday. Hopefully the honor flights are still there to provide that right.”

On Oct. 14, spit and garbage were traded in favor of music and cheers. 

Lenoch said the parade makes a veteran feel like a king. He was grateful for the display but doubted he deserved it.  

For Lenoch, he already felt appreciated for his service when he originally returned home from the war, a feeling he hopes all his fellow veterans on the flight can share. 

“I remember coming into the airport in Cedar Rapids when I was getting out of the service,” he said. “And there’s a video of my mom running across the tarmac. She would run into me and give me a great big hug. And I said, ‘Well, Jesus, that’s when I felt like a hero too.’”