Washington “This is a Veterans Day they won’t soon forget.”
Last weekend, on a warm 70-degree day in the nation's capital, former President Barack Obama boarded an Honor Flight filled with Korean and Vietnam war veterans that had just landed from Madison, Wisconsin.
“Hello everyone,” boomed his voice over the loudspeaker.
“What!” one person exclaimed. The other veteran gasped, mouth wide open.
Honor Flight Networks
“I just wanted to say thank you,” the former president continued in the moment captured on video.
Honor Flight Networks 
Seventy-nine veterans and their families went on the trip.
Obama shook their hands as they exited the plane and presented them with a Presidential Challenge Coin, a sign of his personal gratitude for their sacrifices.
Honor Flight Networks 
“As Veterans Day approaches, I was honored to welcome a group of veterans and their families to Washington,” Obama said in a statement. “To all who have bravely served our country, thank you and your family for your outstanding service. The sacrifices you all made to protect our country will be appreciated today and every day.”
Honor Flight Networks is a national nonprofit organization that provides free flights to veterans to visit monuments in the Washington area. It initially targeted World War II veterans, but expanded its mission to include veterans of the Korean and Vietnam Wars, as well as veterans of other deployments.
“I had tears in my eyes,” Army veteran Joe Parr said. “I just couldn’t believe that there were so many people around who remembered us and were there to greet us, and it was just incredible!”
The Honor Flight program has been in operation for 20 years and has served more than 317,000 veterans, according to its website.
“It started small and now many states have their own centers, raising their own money and organizing entire flights,” said Capt. Mary Quigley, a Navy veteran and Honor Flight volunteer.
