Veteran serves as guardian for daughter of late vet Emil Misar Jr.
WASHINGTON (KELO) — The dynamic between a veteran and his or her guardian on a Midwest Honor Flight trip to the Washington, D.C. area is at the heart of the journey's experience. Navy veteran Dave Peterson of Brookings, S.D. took in the sights and experiences on the nonprofit organization's May 6 trip alongside his guardian Pam Intermill, someone he had only recently met.
'She takes it seriously and just makes sure that I get through all of this without any incident,' Peterson said while seated next to Intermill at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on May 6.
Midwest Honor Flight brings area veterans to the memorials of Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia. The trip makes for a long day which includes two flights, several short bus rides and many steps, so the guardian is there to offer any kind of support. But for Intermill, Peterson was her support, too. Her late father Emil Misar Jr. of the Brookings area had served with the Army. He had badly wanted to go on a Midwest Honor Flight trip, and he learned he would be able to go on one during the fall of 2022. But injuries suffered in a car crash in rural Brookings County took his life that year before he was able to accompany fellow veterans to Washington. He was 85 years old. Now in 2025, his daughter has experienced the trip while her late father is never far from her thoughts.
'He would've loved it,' Intermill said.
And accompanying her was Peterson, like her father a Vietnam War-era veteran in his 80s: an emotional guardian for his own guardian thinking of her late dad.
'It was almost like I was there seeing the opportunity that he would have had,' Peterson said.
'I totally could feel him with us, for sure,' Intermill said.
The day would have been dramatically different for Intermill's dad compared to another experience.
'He mentioned when he got off the ship that people were spitting on him in California, and the amount of love today has been amazing,' Intermill said.
The steady hands and watchful eyes of guardians go a long way in helping make this trip a success for veterans. And for Peterson and Intermill, the late Emil Misar Jr. has helped forge their bond.
'Now, I feel like we'll have a connection forever,' Intermill said. 'So he's been my guardian as much as I've been his guardian today.'
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