ELSANOR, Ala. — Thousands served. They stormed the beaches of Normandy, hit the sand at Iwo Jima and in countless ways supported this country as it battled both Germany and Japan during World War II.

While they conquered the Axis powers, the one thing the men and women who served during World War II can’t overcome is death.

It’s estimated that of the 15 million who served, only 4 million remain.

That’s why there are “Honor Flights.” The goal of the organization, whose Web address is honorflight.org, is “Helping every single veteran in America, willing and able of getting on a plane or a bus, visit their memorial.” The Web address for the local group is honorflightSA.com

“Their memorial” is the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. It was dedicated May 29, 2004. According to the Honor Flight Web site, about 1,000 World War II veterans die every day.

Alto Brill of Elsanor plans to be on the Honor Flight that will leave Mobile May 6. Now 85, Brill served on destroyer escorts as a “torpedoman.”

It could be hot, dirty and dangerous, but Brill, 85, survived and returned to the area to resume cutting timber,

“I enlisted in November 1944,” said Brill.

Brill does not recall a lot of patriotism in his decision.

“A buddy and I enlisted. We just wanted to go somewhere,” he said.

His assignments took him from Elsanor through the Panama Canal, through the Straights of Magellan and around Cape Horn aboard a variety of ships.

“There wasn’t much to it,” Brill says modestly. “We brought troops to the Society Islands and New Caledonia.”

On one expedition aboard USS Concord, a light cruiser, had an important guest. Admiral Richard E. Byrd, one of the first to reach the South Pole, was aboard.

“He had about 50 people in his party,” recalled Brill. “They were looking for potential bomber bases.”

During this cruise, there was an explosion aboard Concord.

“The aviation fuel for the observation plane blew up. It was our own fault. We buried 22 men at sea.”

Concord returned to Panama for repairs, and left an injured Brill at a hospital there. From there, Brill was sent to Newport, R.I . for torpedo school.

From there, he was sent by train to California to become part of a new submarine tender’s crew.

While the crew gathered together and started training, there was just one problem — the tender was being built along Pier 92 in New York.

So it was back to New York for Brill.

“They sent us by train — on a cattle car,” chuckled Brill.

Unfortunately, by the time the crew got to the new ship, the ship was not ready.

“They told us to take five days (leave),” Brill recalled. “I headed to Newport.”

Five days later, the crew returned, only to be told to take another five days.

“After three five-day leaves, the ship was ready,” recalled Brill.

The new crew took the tender to New London, Conn, to Norfolk, Va. and from there to Australia. The war ended while Brill was there.

On the return voyage, Brill and his shipmates learned that anyone with four or more years of service was eligible for a discharge.

“I took that. I could see them making the Navy smaller.”

So despite his first thoughts of making the Navy a career, Brill returned to Elsanor and resumed his lumbering career He eventually had five “skidders” and 18 men working for him.

Like many veterans, he’d put his war service behind him.

“I didn’t think of it much,” Brill said.

His daughter, Suellen Brazil, the principal of J. Larry Newton School, learned about Honor Flights.

“She got me interested in them,” said Brill.

Brill was too busy building a life to dwell on his war years.

“We never had a reunion (of his old shipmates). I didn’t keep up with them. I just now joined the VFW. Like thousands of others, we just did what we had to.”

To Aaron Daniels of Robertsdale, Brill is one of the thousands of heroes who the Honor Flights are made for. He will be going along with Brill May 6 as a “guardian,” someone who will tend to the needs of three veterans. Some of the veterans are in frail health, and there will be doctors and nurses aboard the flight and on the tour to make sure the veterans are well taken care of.

“Our generation received the benefits of their labor 60 years ago,” said Daniels. Guardians pay their own way aboard the flight, which Daniels says was about $500.

Daniels stressed that local veterans can sign up for future Honor Flights by visiting the group’s Web site, HonorflightSA.com. There is also a place for potential guardians to sign up as well.

“There is going to be a return celebration when we come back,” said Daniels. “It is going to be at 7:30 p.m. May 6 at Mobile International. People are strongly encouraged to bring American flags. It will be the ticker tape parade they never had.”