'One of the few remaining of the greatest generation': Idaho World War II veteran honored

MERIDIAN, Idaho — It was a memorable day at Scheels in Meridian as a local World War II veteran was honored for his service.

97-year-old Patrick Teixeira, a World War II veteran, was born and raised in Hawaii. He said he worked in Pearl Harbor when he was 15 years old. 

"When they dropped the bomb, I went (to Japan) to clean up," Teixeira said. "So, I saw the beginning, and I saw the ending."

Several generations of Teixeira's family were at Scheels on Wednesday afternoon. 

"I'm enjoying it – really enjoying it," Teixeira said. 

"He was one of three World War II veterans that attend the Kilroy Coffee Klatch at the Warhawk Museum, and he's the only one that had not been on an Honor Flight," Julie Crider, president of Honor Flight Boise, told KTVB Wednesday. 

Honor Flight Boise, a 501(c)(3), covers eight southwest Idaho counties and will make its inaugural trip in October.

"I was determined to get him on the flight," Crider said.

And her determination paid off – Teixeira will make the trip this fall. 

Currently, Honor Flight is working to fundraise, as well as recruit veterans and volunteers.

Crider said the flight will cost upwards of $75,000 for the number of veterans they are hoping to take, as all expenses are paid.

"They deserve it. They earned it," Crider said of the veterans. "We need them to see these memorials that were built in their honor, and a lot of them are just not able to get to Washington D.C., either financially or it's just not practical. So, we make it easy."

In June 2025, a group of World War II and Vietnam War veterans took their own Honor Flight out of Boise with its co-founder Earl Morse.