Central Texas veterans honored in 86th annual Austin Honor Flight

41 veterans take Honor Flight to visit DC

The 86th Austin Honor Flight took off Friday afternoon from Austin-Bergstrom. 41 veterans left on a trip to Washington D.C. to visit the war memorials that honor their service.

AUSTIN, Texas - Friday morning, 41 area veterans headed out from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on a journey to the nation's capital to visit the war memorials built in their honor.

It's the 86th annual Austin Honor Flight, a free flight from Austin to Washington D.C. that honors veterans of World War II, the Vietnam War and the Cold War.

ABIA celebrated the veterans. The Austin Police Department Pipe and Drum Corps, alone with the TSA Color Guard, honored the men with a procession.

Veterans visit DC in 86th Austin Honor Flight

41 area veterans are going on the trip of a lifetime to visit the war memorials built in their honor in Washington, DC.

The Honor Flight prioritizes veterans with serious medical conditions, accommodating wheelchairs and the need for oxygen.

During previous flights, veterans told FOX 7 they do not feel celebrated much these days, and that the annual Honor Flight is an opportunity to remember their heroic efforts.

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According to the National World War II Museum, America loses about 131 World War II veterans every day. They say less than 120,000 veterans remain of the 16 million who served between 1939 and 1945.

Today, just under 6,000 veterans live in Texas.

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