Honor Flight Austin heads out on 78th flight

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin's 78th Honor Flight flew out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport earlier this week.

Honor Flight flies veterans from various US wars and conflicts to see the military monuments and memorials honoring their service in Washington D.C.

"I see all these wonderful people from all branches of the service," said veteran Otto Tilley. "And I thought, boy, this is going to be fun."

Tilley is one of the 39 World War II, Korean, Vietnam, and Cold War veterans who made their way through Austin-Bergstrom to be a part of Honor Flight Austin. This trip of a lifetime flies veterans out to Washington D.C. and for many, this will be their first time ever seeing those memorials.

"It really leaves you speechless to see them speechless," said Cindy Kendrick, Honor Flight Austin board secretary. "You know, they're these grown men that are stubborn and independent. They're they're brought to tears and smiles. And just the gratitude from them is just what makes this all worth it."

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Vietnam veteran Henry Rubio was ready for the trip. "I just think is going to be awesome. I mean, you know, flying with other Vietnam veterans and going to, you know, world to see their memorials, especially the war, a Vietnam memorial. That's going to be awesome," he said.

Rubio says it’ll be nice to be surrounded by fellow veterans who can support them through this. "I think is awesome going with other Vietnam veterans. I never done that before, so it's going to be nice," he said.

To learn more about Honor Flight Austin, click here.