The flight on April 5 and 6 included James Reardon of Kennedy, who served in the Army during the Korean War, Frank Tantillo of Jamestown, who served in the Army during Vietnam, and Charles Johnson of Dunkirk, who served in the Marines during Vietnam.

Reardon said he originally did not know anything about the Honor Flight program and was nominated to go by his son.

“It was an honor to go and see stuff I had never seen,” Reardon said. “The crew were some of the kindest people I’ve ever been around, and so were the medical staff that came along. I was also asked to lay the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which was an honor.”

For Tantillo, seeing the memorials, including the World War II and Korean memorials, along with the spot at the Pentagon where the plane crashed on 9/11, were a highlight as he got to see and recognize parts of history. But, he said the Vietnam memorial stood out to him the most.

The veterans are pictured with their family members who came along on the trip as well.

“The Vietnam memorial got to me as a Vietnam veteran,” Tantillo said. “My son, who is a teacher, came with me and he knew I was a veteran but he got to learn a lot too. The people who put this trip together are so organized and all volunteers. But, the biggest thing for me was coming home to the Buffalo airport and having everyone there cheer for us. It brought tears to my eyes.”

For Johnson, the Vietnam memorial was also one of his favorite parts. Additionally, he said it was special to him to have his daughter come with him and to be able to experience the trip with her, but similar to Tantillo, the recognition on the return home was a big highlight.

“It was the thanks we should’ve gotten when we came home from the war,” Johnson said. “When we came home from Vietnam we had drinks thrown at us. We were spit on and called names. It got to the point where we would not go into an airport in uniform anymore, and you hear about veterans who suffered because their families would not accept them. We just did what we were told.”

Upon the return home, Johnson said he has been doing what he can to help spread the word about the Honor Flight, including at Vets for Christ in Brocton that he goes to with a friend and where he originally heard about it. He added that he believed it was a shame that more veterans did not know about it and signed up.

For more information on going on the Honor Flight, email the Fenton History Center’s Vets Finding Vets Program at veterans@fentonhistorycenter.org.

Cherry blossoms bloomed at the Arlington Cemetery while the veterans were there for part of their trip.