50 veterans take 94th Honor Flight to D.C.

AUSTIN, Texas - Dozens of Central Texas veterans took off for Washington, D.C. on the 94th Honor Flight to see memorials that honor them. 

Fifty veterans from World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Cold War are taking the flight. Some of them are going to DC for the first time. 

Their procession through Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was met with applause. The recognition was different from the homecoming some veterans like Robert Anderson had decades ago.

"We were treated very bad. I mean, believe it or not, in uniform I got spit on, and I was called a baby killer. Most of these Vietnam vets were treated the same way. The government at that time had no idea what PTSD was. They really came down on us," he said. "There are a lot of fellows that they really hurt. Now, 50 years later, they realize it, and more people say 'thank you.'"

He served in the Navy from 1969-70. This is his first time going to D.C. 

"I want to go to Arlington Cemetery because my grandfather's buried there. I want to see all the different sites, plus visit the Vietnam Memorial," Anderson said. 

"What really happens is healing starts to begin in their hearts and their minds as they get to visit other veterans who have similar experiences," Matt Mathias, chairman of Honor Flight Austin, said.

Jerry Johnson served in the Air Force from 1960-64. 

"When I left the service, 'there's the gate, go.' That was it," he said.

While he's been to D.C. before as a high school teacher, now he can see more of the memorials. 

"It's been awhile," he said. 

"They come home different men after 36 hours in Washington talking to one another and being honored in a way that they never expected," Mathias said.

For more information on Honor Flight Austin and how to get involved, click here.