Borderland veterans head to Washington, D.C. on Mission 18 Honor Flight
EL PASO, TX (KVIA) -- A group of veterans from El Paso and southern New Mexico departed early Thursday morning on the Mission 18 Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. This trip gives veterans the chance to visit the war memorials dedicated to their service and sacrifice.
30 Vietnam veterans were escorted with a motorcade to the El Paso International Airport and greeted with cheers, applause, and well-wishes to send them off.
ABC-7 spoke to veterans ahead of their trip. “I’m feeling very exhilarated. I'm feeling pampered. I'm feeling spoiled. I'm feeling very honored,” said Debó Wakefield, one of the Vietnam Veterans aboard Mission 18.
Mayor Oscar Leeser sponsored Mission 18, he told ABC-7 this is a way of giving back to those who served for our country, “A lot of them came and gave me a hug and they were crying because it's so important to them to do this and be able to go to Washington, go to the monuments and Arlington Cemetery.”
The veterans will return on Saturday, September 21 at 4:30 p.m. The community is invited to the El Paso International Airport to give them the welcome home they deserve.
“Most of us got no welcome back. Mine consisted of my uncle and mother meeting me in the middle of the night to take me home, and nobody said anything,” said Vietnam veteran, Frank Patterson.
Make sure to head out if you have the chance, it means the world to them!
