Tanilo Sandoval poses with family members after the return from his Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.
On Thursday, September 20, 2012 Tanilo Sandoval joined 100 veterans and 60 Guardians (many of them Gold Star Families who lost a loved one during war) to take his Honor Flight from the Quad Cities to Washington, D.C. He went, he said, because his brothers Frank and Joseph Sandoval, could not.
Tanilo grew up on the block-and-a-half-long 2nd Street in Silvis, Illinois. The street later named Hero Street, U.S.A. lost six young men in World War II and two in the Korean War -- more than any other street in America. Frank and Joseph Sandoval were among them.
Hero Street, a new documentary by Emmy nominated® filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, will combine interviews with family members, veterans, community leaders, friends and historians with vintage photos, film and archival material to tell an unforgettable story of American courage, character, and perseverance.
The Rundles were at the Quad Cities International Airport at 5:15 that September morning filming Tanilo's arrival with his Guardian escorting him to the 20th Honor Flight Quad Cities boarding area.
He returned at 10:15 p.m. after a full and emotional day of visiting memorials dedicated to honoring the veterans for their service and sacrifice. Tanilo and those honored were welcomed home by the Illinois Patriot Guard Riders, and a packed airport of applauding family, friends and people who wanted to simply say "thank you for your service!"
In addition to the Honor Flight, preliminary on-camera interviews and a Hero Street Memorial Day Service have been shot for the feature-length documentary, which is slated for release in 2014.