Most Honor Flight veterans see the memorials with their friends and fellow vets. But one Flandreau man was able to visit Washington, D.C. with his son, who's a current military man.  And organizers pulled some strings to get them both on this particular flight.

Lee and Todd Rose pay close attention to the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Todd is a full-time National Guardsman who's already served more than a year in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lee is an Army vet, who barely missed out on head-to-head combat in the Philippines during World War II because of what he calls good timing.

"I was out on the water for two days when the war ended with Japan," Lee said.

Lee had been on the Honor Flight waiting list for months, and Todd signed up to be his guardian. The two didn't find out until last Wednesday, Veteran's Day, that they'd be going on this trip.

"It was a nice surprise. We got a call last week saying we might get a chance," Todd said. "My dad went to the Colman school where they raised $5,000. So a couple of men looked him up and said, ‘Hey, you're going to go.’"

Organizers say it's more than just luck that put the Roses on this flight. They were chosen because Todd is being deployed to Afghanistan in May and will be doing training when the next Honor Flight is set to take off in April.

"It's an honor to be able to... the military's a big thing in our family, and to come out here, spend some time, see some stuff," Todd said.

Even though the father didn't see a whole lot of action himself, he was certainly ready to fight, and that's a lesson his son never forgot.

"He always told me, 'You work hard, you get far.'  That's one of the biggest things I remember," Todd said.

Lee says he doesn't think of himself as a hero; he merely did what had to be done. But Todd says Lee is a hero, and he's proud he can see his father get the recognition and thanks he deserves.

"Kind of gives you a warm feeling," Lee said.

“If it wasn't for this generation, who knows where we'd be now," Todd said.

Todd Rose's son is also now in the military, serving with the 1742nd Transportation Company out of Flandreau.