For one day, it was almost as if World War II had just ended all over again.
The people cheered the veterans of Wiregrass Honor Flight Saturday. Wives, sons and daughters hugged their veterans. People applauded when they landed in Washington, saluted in airports. At the World War II Memorial, strangers approached, shook hands, posed for pictures.
There were a million thank-yous -- everything but ticker tape and parades.
Related:Complete coverage of Wiregrass Honor Flight.
To help out: Fundraising efforts are continuing for future Honor Flights. For more information visit www.wiregrasshonorflight.org.
It was about 65 years ago when they stormed beaches, liberated hills, won dogfights and torpedoed the enemy. They carried rifles, bazookas and grenades.
Saturday, these veterans stepped onto the grounds of the World War II Memorial carrying canes and walkers. The men that won the Battle of the Bulge, Guadalcanal and Midway now had to stop for rest after exiting their bus.
It took almost 60 years to build a tribute to the war. Most of the men who fought in the war have never seen it.
As they stepped inside the Pacific arch and into the open area filled with inscriptions, statues and dancing water, a man welcomed them with a handshake and a short salutation.
"Sir, welcome to your memorial."
There were 90 World War II veterans on the Inaugural Wiregrass Honor Flight, and for a brief time, they took the Memorial and made it their own.
They fanned out over the structure, stared at the rainbow pool, marveled at the massive Eagle sculptures overlooking the Memorial, and remembered their own battles when they found tributes to the war’s seminal points.
"Just beautiful," said Ozzie Osepchook of Ozark, a former prisoner of war.
They range in age from 79 to 98. They fought everywhere from Normandy to Italy to China. Two veterans left Hospice care to make the flight.
After they toured the World War II Memorial, they traveled to Arlington Cemetery to witness the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Then, they stopped for a brief look at the Iwo Jima Memorial.
They returned to Dothan and a hero's welcome. Hundreds gathered, and a day of cheering ended.
"I loved everything about it," said Burkett Howard, who was in Topeka, Kansas, ready to join the war when it ended. "I'll remember it as long as I live."
The Wiregrass Honor Flight is the local effort of the National Honor Flight program, created to fly World War II veterans to Washington, D.C. to view the Memorial. Veterans fly for free.
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