ORLANDO, Fla. — It was a hero’s welcome this weekend here in Orlando, where 58 veterans returned home from an honor flight.
▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS
The group left Saturday morning and headed to the nation’s capital.
Two World War II veterans were on the plane. One of those was John Hatch. At 101, he made his first honor flight.
The first lieutenant from WWII, still fly fishes, jet skis, and legend has it beats everyone in corn hole. He told us he was going because “I would like to see my co-companions in Washington.”
Read: 9 Investigates helps woman with Down Syndrome get Social Security benefits restored
Every day, memories of World War II are disappearing from living history. The men and women who fought and won this great conflict are now in their 90s, and some are over 100!
According to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs statistics, only 100,000 of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II are alive.
That’s why flights like these are so important.
This year, Channel 9 Shannon Butler was asked to go along as a guardian on this one-day trip.
Channel 9 left Saturday morning to see the war memorials and the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
Read: Group says Seminole County Animal Services are not transparent about low intake numbers
It was an honor to go along.
It was a day some of them had been waiting years for.
Jay Mack, a veteran and retired OPD officer, got to see someone he recognized on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall.
Mack told us that Charles Epperson was a hero, saying, “His brother Jimmy and I worked together for like 20 years!” I got to witness the special moments, like Mack and his companions salute Epperson and others who died in the war.
Read: Woman faces issues with Social Security benefits after vocal cord surgery
I was lucky enough to get to escort an 82-year-old beauty.
Sondra Doebler, who waited three years to take this flight to Washington, D.C.
She and other women were honored with plaques for their service, paving the way for so many others after them.
But for her the greatest gift was the community who rallied around them. Doebler told us, “It’s so nice to get kudos from people, they stop you, you know they do so much, and they can’t be more thankful to us.”
Since 2005, the honor flight network has flown over 295,000 veterans and currently operates from 44 states and 124 regional hubs.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.