MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Fla. (WSVN) — World War II veterans from South Florida received a special salute, Saturday.
Miami International Airport partnered with Honor Flight South Florida and Eastern Airlines for the Second Annual Honor Flight for Local Veterans.
During the one-day trip to Washington, D.C., veterans received tours of the WWII memorial and other military sites.
"We never got a ‘Welcome Back’ for Vietnam like this," said Vietnam War veteran Greg Chippone. "For these guys, I’m sure this is something they wanted to do. They never got to see their monument and now they got to see it."
"It was the best, it couldn’t be any better," said WWII veteran Ralph Levine. "It was beautiful — everything right down to the minute was perfect."
Upon arrival, thousands of thank you letters were given to the veterans during a traditional mail call for deployed soldiers.