LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Nearly Kentucky men who fought for our freedom were honored on Thursday.
They were invited to participate in the Honor Flight to Washington D.C.
This fell on the 69th anniversary of D-Day.
Hundreds of people greeted the veterans as they returned home to the airport on Thursday evening.
"They are not expecting this. They have no clue what's going to happen. That's good," says Phil Ernst, who was waiting for his uncle.
Phil Ernst couldn't be more proud of his uncle, Jacob Ernst. The Louisville veteran served as a Navy medic during WWII and greeted his wife with a big hug and kiss when he returned home from Washington D.C.
"There were a lot of things to see up there. It was really a nice trip," says Jacob Ernst.
He says it was a trip that meant so much to all of these veterans. They met with members of Congress, like Representative John Yarmuth, and visited the WWII memorial, among others.
"I think for most WWII veterans, it was quite emotional all the way around for everyone," says Jacob Ernst.
Dr. Jim Wheeler welcomed them home as he also remembered D-Day, which is the day his father was shot down in a plane.
He says his dad and all the other veterans are heroes.
For this unforgettable day, he wanted to share it with the veterans of WWII.
"I have such a great appreciation for the vets who have given everything. I just hope more people in this country will appreciate them. Because, like they say, all gave some, some gave all. That is so true," says Dr. Jim Wheeler.
Veteran James Bruton says the memories from WWII are fresh. He has declined the honor flight, until now.
He says memories have haunted him.
"You go with 12 men and leave six laying there dead, and the other...six of us wounded...I didn't know I was hit," he said. "I tell you what, that is something you never forget."
Bruton was paratrooper in World War II.
He had grown close to the men who died before him.
Bruton gave in to the memories, deciding to go on the honor flight because of those friends he lost.
"I'm paying tribute to my buddies," he said.
Ford Motor Co. paid for the trip. Honor flights give vets the chance to see the World War II memorial up-close, and visit other monuments on the trip.
Future flights are scheduled for October and September.
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