Hilton Head Airport honors World War II veteran in town for Christmas

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (WTOC) - Millions of Americans use the airport to get to their holiday destination, but how often are they met with a crowd of strangers cheering them when they enter the terminal?

We had one of those instances at the Hilton Head Island Airport on Friday, as they honored World War II veteran PFC Dan Antenen.

“It’s terrific, that’s what it is,” Antenen said.

The 100-year-old flew into the Lowcountry with his daughter and was met with cheers and American flags.

“Just the idea that anybody cares that old people did something great for all of us to be able to live here and live free is pretty spectacular,” Antenen’s daughter, Mary McIlroy, said.

Antenen, an Ohio native, served 2.5 years in the U.S. Army and spent five months in Europe.

He is on Hilton Head to spend time with his three grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren for three days.

“I’ll learn what Hilton Head is all about,” Antenen said jokingly.

Representatives from the local American Legion post and the Military Officers Association of America were the ones who greeted him in the terminal.

At the terminal, the groups gifted Antenen with a quilt from the Palmetto Quilt Guild and shared stories about their times in the service.

It was a spectacle, one veteran says he was glad he didn’t miss.

“I’m glad we could be here to greet him, to add to this Christmas vacation,” American Legion Post 42 Commander Joseph Buckingham Sr. said. “I mean, this is so special.”

And the hero’s welcome didn’t end at the terminal, as Antenen was wheeled outside and shown a classic Cadillac Eldorado that was his ride to his holiday destination.