Iwo Jima veterans tour Sheppard Published Feb. 23, 2007 By Staff Sgt. Tonnette Thompson 82nd Training Wing, Public Affairs SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Plunk ... Pfc. George Lewis Elgin. Plunk ... Pvt. Robert S. Miller Plunk ... Cpl. Robert Lee McDowell. Plunk ... Pfc. Robert McElheny. The pennies fell in a cascade from the child's hands into four tall glasses, as an auditorium of onlookers held a respectful silence. With each plunking sound, the fate of another Marine who made the ultimate sacrifice on a particular Asian shore more than six decades ago was represented. Though the audience consisted mostly of children sitting cross-legged on the floor, in one section of the auditorium were men and women seated in chairs, some bespectacled, most white-haired, and nearly all carrying pictures of great-grandchildren. A select few sported baseball caps pinned with medals, signifying their own contributions to the Marine Corps and to that same bloody battle. The presentation may vary with each passing year, but the display of pride and gratitude offered by Sheppard Air Force Base to the veterans who gather for the Iwo Jima Survivors Reunion remains the same. A tour of the base and a visit to Sheppard Elementary School, where the students treat the veterans, their spouses and the widows to lunch and performances by the school choir. "I enjoy doing this every time," said J.D. Morris, a veteran taking the tour for the fourth year in a row. "I get to see the progress the base has made, and it always does my heart good to hear these children cheering for us." The tour members will also be treated to a banquet at the Howard Johnson Plaza Feb. 24, and will attend an Iwo Jima memorial service conducted by the First Sergeants Council Feb. 25. As the last of 6,800 pennies fell, the audience offered somber applause. A few of the senior citizens gave small smiles to the clapping children. Some bowed their heads, dabbing their eyes; others proudly lifted their chins. And all are looking forward to hearing the school choir sing "Thankful for the U.S.A." again next year.