Freedom Honor Flight takes off

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — Early Saturday, area veterans took off from La Crosse to see memorials built in their honor.

Ninety veterans and their guardians flew to Washington, D.C., and were taken with a police escort to see war memorials and tour our nation’s capital.

Before take off, veterans enjoyed a send off with family, friends and a choir from the North Woods International School.

Upon arrival in the District of Columbia they were greeted with cheers and music.

Organizers say this is a way to give back to area veterans.

“Well, so many of our veterans that we’re honoring in these cases, never had anybody to welcome them home or to thank them for their service and so on. On this particular flight, we have 22 World War II veterans, 67 Korean veterans-and a few from Vietnam, and none of them were thanked properly for their time in the service. So this gives us a nice way to congratulate them and thank them for what they did in serving our country,” Pat Stephens, Freedom Honor Flight president said.

The veterans were to return late Saturday night.