APPLETON (NBC 26) — Veterans aboard the Old Glory Honor Flight were greeted by cheers and applause Wednesday night when they got off their plane in Appleton.
- Veterans took the Old Glory Honor Flight to Washington D.C. where they visited war memorials
- The Appleton International Airport writes in a news release they have been hosting the Honor Flight since 2009
- The airport also says each flight costs about $100,000 and around 100 veterans are honored on each trip
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
The Appleton Airport has been hosting the Old Glory Honor Flight since 2009. I'm Pari Apostolakos and I was there Wednesday when they welcomed veterans home from Washington, D.C. once again.
Veterans were greeted with cheers, applause, and plenty of handmade signs as they disembarked from Wednesday's Old Glory Honor Flight.
Veteran David Mix was one of the people who got to pass out American flags to the veterans before they were welcomed home from Washington, D.C., where they visited war memorials.
He says his own honor flight experience was special and that's why he keeps helping other veterans with theirs.
"It's not a thing that you could just put to the past," Mix said. "These veterans worked for their time off and they never really got what they needed and I'm here to help them get what they needed [a] long time ago."
Brian Pierstorff anxiously awaited his father's arrival with his family including children and grandchildren. He says when his father, Jim, was selected to take part in Wednesday's Honor Flight he was honored and flattered.
"I think it means a lot by all the support of the community, all the other fellow vets that are with him and just accompanied by great people," Pierstorff said. "We grew up in a small town and this is kind of a big thing for us."
According to a news release from the airport, each Old Glory Honor Flight costs about $100,000. They honor about 100 veterans at a time. In Appleton Pari Apostolakos NBC 26.
