He was a 22-year-old chief petty officer, an Alabama boy recently back from the Atlantic Theater, assigned to aircraft maintenance training at a Naval air station in, of all places, Hutchinson, Kan.

She was a year younger, a pretty business school graduate from Missouri, serving as a Navy yeoman in the personnel office at the same Kansas facility.

Five weeks after they met in 1944, Bill and Ruth Guthrie were married.

“We don’t advise it,” a laughing Ruth Guthrie said of the whirlwind courtship.

“But I was on my way to the Pacific, so I said, ‘Let’s go ahead,’” her husband of 65 years responded.

The Guthries helped make history as members of America’s “greatest generation” in World War II.

Now 87 and 86 years old, the LaGrange veterans will make history again in April, as the first married couple to take a West Georgia Honor Flight to visit the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C.

On April 16, some 85 veterans, including 15 from Troup County, will be flown, all expenses paid, to the nation’s capital for a day of reflection, remembrance and honor.

Especially honor.

The nonprofit, all-volunteer Honor Flight program was created solely to honor World War II veterans for their service and sacrifices, said Royce Ard, a Knology executive and founder of the Columbus-based West Georgia Honor Flight “hub.”

“There’s just something so special about the World War II generation,” Ard said. “They truly were ‘ordinary people who saved the world.’ They touched so many lives.”

Founded in 2004, the year the World War II memorial was completed, the national Honor Flight network has grown to more than 70 “hubs” in 31 states. More than 36,000 veterans have been treated to the one-day flights, not just to see the D.C. memorials but to be applauded and saluted every step of the way, from before sun-up to beyond sundown.

“The National World War II Memorial was long overdue,” said Isabelle Knight, a local volunteer who is helping raise funds for the April flight. “It is too late for many of its heroes to see the memorial and to know that they are, at long last, being thanked for their role in World War II. The Honor Flight is a wonderful opportunity to show our appreciation to those who are left.”

Transporting dozens of elderly veterans - many of them frail and requiring assistance - takes detailed planning, medical equipment, many volunteers and money - lots of money. Air and ground transportation, meals and other expenses total about $400 per “hero.”

Guardians - as the volunteers who accompany the flights are called - pay their own way, but veterans are not charged a penny.

“They already paid their part,” Ard said.

In addition to the Guth-ries, Troup County veterans scheduled for the flight include Jerry Carmical, Joe Daniel, Jimmy Daniel, Francis Dobbins, James Harris, Wyman Hughes, Memory Johnson, Eiland Lipham, Ralph Norris, Hawley Smith, Ellis Smith and, if space is available, John Gamble and Guy Longshore.

Knight and her team of volunteers aim to raise $6,000 or more to cover the costs of the Troup County veterans and assist the overall Honor Flight effort.

“It does not matter what role these men and women played. Whether they served on the home front, fought in the Pacific, invaded the beaches of France, flew bombing missions, cared for the wounded, did laundry, served as a cook, statistician or radio operator, they were a critical element in the fight for freedom,” Knight said. “Many of the veterans were still overseas and did not get to come home until months after the surrender. The Honor Flight homecoming is a chance for the community to say ‘Thank you and welcome home.’ “

Bill Guthrie can relate to that. Already in the Navy at the time of Pearl Harbor, he spent 22 months in the campaign for North Africa then, after the stateside training where he met his wife, spent the remainder of the war in the Pacific. As a member of one of the first Navy units ashore in the Philippines, he experienced 230 air raid alerts in 30 days.

“And I didn’t get home until seven months after the war ended, so I missed the celebrations,” he said.

Ruth Guthrie was discharged in 1945, but her husband made a career of the Navy, ultimately receiving an officer’s commission and serving for 29 years before retiring to LaGrange, where he taught electronics, then guided the Quick Start program for West Georgia Technical College.

The couple raised three children - sons Mike and Steve and a daughter, Pat Gilbert of LaGrange, who with her husband, Orren Gilbert, will accompany the Guthries as “guardians” on the trip to D.C.

The Guthries contributed money toward the building of the World War II Memorial, but never expected to see it. As octogenarians, they find travel is difficult.

But the couple are exactly the type veterans that Honor Flight was created to serve, Ard says. Much of its planning focuses on making the day safe and comfortable for the veterans - all of whom are older than 80, some older than 90.

The extra effort paid off when the West Georgia hub staged its first Honor Flight last fall, Ard said.

“The vets actually seemed to get younger by the hour. Many of them looked to be in better shape when they got back than when they started,” he said.

The day has its solemn moments, but overall, Ard found the mood of the veterans on the 2009 trip to be upbeat and appreciative of the opportunity.

“They were just a bunch of old fellows having a great time, patting each other on the back and taking it all in,” he said.

Bill Guthrie anticipates a similar experience.

“I don’t think it will be a sad day. World War II was tough, but in a way, it was the greatest time of our lives. People were all pulling together, helping each other out,” he said.

Ruth Guthrie looks forward to sharing the day with other World War II veterans.

“I’m sure it will bring back memories. It’s quite an hon-or. I think it’s wonderful that they are doing this.”

Even frail vets are welcome on the flight as long as a doctor gives the OK, Ard said. Two hospice patients, in fact, made the first trip, and priority is given to veterans who are terminally ill or older than 90.

“We’re losing so many World War II veterans - more than 1,000 die each day - that there’s a real sense of urgency about this,” Ard said.

Two more West Georgia Honor Flights are planned this fall, for a total of four in 2010.

“As long as there are World War II veterans who want to go and money to send them, we’ll keep doing it,” Ard said.

Eventually, he expects the focus to turn to Korean and Vietnam war veterans.

And though honoring vets is the sole reason for the Honor Flights, the movement has had an important secondary benefit, Knight believes.

“It brings to the attention of the younger generations the sacrifices of this generation and the history of World War II, the greatest human drama. The succeeding generations need to know, to understand and to never forget the sacrifices that were made to keep this great country free.”

How to help

Monetary gifts, large or small, are needed to support the West Georgia Honor Flights in April and beyond. Gifts are tax-deductible, and checks payable to West Georgia Honor Flight can be sent to West Georgia Honor Flight, c/o Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley, 1340 13th St., Columbus, GA 31901-2345.

Gifts can be made in honor or in memory of specific veterans, and appropriate acknowledgements will be sent.

“Often, we’ll receive a check from someone who says, ‘My dad’s gone and can’t go, but I would like to help someone else make the trip,’ ” said Royce Ard, founder of the West Georgia Honor Flight.

Information and applications for future flights, for both veterans and guardians, can be found at the organization’s Web site: www.wgahonorflight.org.