75 years later, Las Vegas-area World War II vets recognized for service

By Miranda Willson

Saturday, April 6, 2019 | 2 a.m.

Henry "Darrell" Keele was 21 when he left his home state of Texas to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. It was September 1942, less than a year after the United States joined what would become the deadliest war in human history.

Keele was one of 25 Las Vegas-area World War II veterans honored this week for their service during a ceremony at the Nevada State Veterans Home and the Boulder City Airport. The event was for veterans residing at the home who are unable to visit the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C.

“We focused on the World War II veterans here who really don’t get any recognition,” explained Belinda Morse, president of Honor Flight Southern Nevada, which organized the day’s festivities.

The nonprofit helps World War II and Korean War veterans visit memorials in D.C. and organizes accessible, “virtual” ceremonies like the one last week for those who cannot make it to the capital. Priority is given to veterans who served in World War II and those with terminal illnesses, according to Honor Flight Southern Nevada’s website.

Many of those honored at the ceremony in Boulder City were in wheelchairs or motorized scooters, but stood proudly to pose for a photograph as they received a Quilt of Valor, a book about the World War II memorial and a certificate for their service.

During his three years of service, Keele was an ambulance driver and a medic who went on to paratroop into Normandy in 1944 on D-Day, widely considered the beginning of the Allied victory on the western front.

“I’ve had this given to me and that given to me,” said Keele, modestly referring to the five bronze stars and the purple heart he received for his service.

Keele, who has lived in Nevada for “quite a while,” said he appreciated the opportunity to participate in the ceremony, acknowledging that it was long overdue. He also paid homage to others who served in the war.

“It’s not because of me. It’s because of us. Me and him and her and her. Everybody that was there,” Keele said.

Another veteran honored at the ceremony, Pharis Gunnell, served in the Marines from 1942 to 1946. He enlisted in San Diego and was quickly shipped to “all kinds of places,” including the Philippines and China.

The best part about serving in the war, he said, was coming home to his wife after being separated for many years.

“My wife and I kissed, ‘Goodbye, goodbye,’ and in ’46, when I got out, that’s when I met her again,” Gunnell said.

Gunnell went on to work in the construction and insurance industries, mostly in Nevada and Southern California.

Honor Flight Southern Nevada partnered with the Ageless Aviation Dream Foundation for the first half of the ceremony, which offered vertans the opportunity to ride in a Boeing Stearman at Boulder City Airport. The airplane was commonly used to train servicemen during World War II, Morse explained.

“Many of these veterans have seen it and been around it, but have never flown in it,” she said.

This was the first event that Honor Flight Southern Nevada has held at the Nevada State Veterans Home. When the organization started planning for the ceremony two months ago, there were 31 eligible World War II veterans living at the home. Since then, three have passed away.

“Today, there are about five or six in their rooms who are too sick to come,” Morse added.

She said that the nonprofit might hold a similar event at the Nevada State Veterans Home soon for veterans of the Korean War.

Some who served in that war were invited to take part in last week’s ceremony as well, such as Brett Barritt, 66. He served in the Air Force for two and a half years during the Korean War before he was injured and discharged.

“That took me out of the ballgame,” he said. “But I really enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun.”

Serving his country also gave him a newfound appreciation for living in the United States, he said. After his service, he worked for a security company and later at the now-closed Riviera. He has lived in Las Vegas since 1962.

Although he wasn’t honored at the ceremony, Barritt said he appreciated the opportunity to be in a room with so many distinguished veterans.

“It’s really cool. All these guys are my friends,” he said. “I wasn’t in World War II, but I really enjoyed the service when I was in.”