On this and every Memorial Day, one local veteran remembers and honors all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving the country.

Jesse Kovener, 86, of Seymour, shares a bond that can not be broken, not even by death, with all men and women who pledged their lives to protect the United States and its citizens.

He is one of a dwindling group of veterans in Indiana and across the country who served during World War II.

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On April 23, Kovener got an opportunity to fly to Washington D.C. through the Indy Honor Flight to tour the World War II, Korean and Vietnam war memorials, the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetery.

He was joined by 179 other Hoosier veterans, including three others from Seymour — Dr. Kenneth Bobb, who served during the Korean War, Robert “R.W.” Ellis and Thomas Money, both of whom also served during World War II.

“It’s something I’ll never forget,” Kovener said of the trip.

He wasn’t even aware of the Indy Honor Flight opportunity until his neighbor, Del Powell went last year. The program offers two flights per year, one in April and the other in September.

“I’ve never seen an organization so coordinated,” he said. “They had to have 200 volunteers. It’s a big operation.”

The trips are free for the veterans, and each one is assigned a guardian to make sure they are well taken care of. One of those guardians was Emily Sommers of Brownstown, who spent the trip assigned to Money.

“This experience was a trip of a lifetime,” Sommers said. “I’m so grateful to these men for their service and was honored to spend the day with real life heroes.”

One of the many keepsakes the veterans got to take home with them was an enlarged, poster size version of their military pictures, which Kovener said was a real surprise.

“It traveled with you wherever you went,” he said of the enlarged photo. They also receive a free book featuring pictures taken by photographers during the trip.

Since there aren’t as many Word War II veterans left today, with the remaining ones in their upper 80s and 90s, they are chosen first to fill the flights.

“I think there were seven World War II veterans with us,” he said.

Remaining seats are offered to Korean War veterans and then Vietnam War veterans.

Kovener served four years from 1948 to 1952 in the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed in Germany for three of those years in a supply outfit.

Although he and his family had been to the nation’s capital one time before, it wasn’t the same as being there with his brothers and sisters in arms.

Getting to see Arlington Cemetery was overwhelming, he said.

The 624-acre cemetery is the resting site for more than 400,000 military personnel.

“And not every military member can be buried there,” he said. “You have to meet certain requirements.”

At the World War II Memorial, Kovener said there are 4,000 gold plated metal stars covering a wall. Each star represents 100 casualties during the war for a total of 400,000 dead.

The wall is reflected in the nearby pool making for an emotional and powerful sight, he said. Each state is represented by a pillar with its name engraved on it.

Kovener said it was his first time seeing the memorial and it took his breath away.

Many tears were shed by the veterans, but so were smiles and laughs and good memories, Kovener added.

“It’s hard to understand and to visualize what it’s like, unless you were there,” he said.

What impressed him more than anything about the trip, he said, was the respect he and the rest of the group received from other people.

Wearing his World War II veteran ball cap garnered him plenty of attention from people they didn’t even know at the memorials.

“People would walk up to you and shake your hand and say thank you for your service,” he said. “I had little kids, 4- and 5-years-old come up and do the same thing. It just touches you in such a way that it really sinks in.”

On the way back to Indiana, each veteran was given a personalized packet of cards and letters written by people thanking them.

Although it was a busy and tiring day, Kovener said he is thankful he got to go.

“I would have never been able to go to Washington D.C. just to see this,” he said. “It’s just something I’ll never forget. That’s all there is to it.”

Kovener said he hopes everyone takes time today to observe Memorial Day in the way it was meant to be celebrated.

“So many of these holidays are so commercialized that people let them pass by,” he said.