28th Greater Peoria Honor Flight takes off

PEORIA (25News Now) - Emotions ran high at Peoria International Airport early Wednesday morning, as veterans prepared to take off on the second Honor Flight of the year.

76 vets from all branches of the military and multiple conflicts were accepted to board this month. Along with their guardians, it makes 183 people total heading on an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. There, they’re taken around national monuments and memorials as a way to honor their service to our country.

Some do it to honor others, like Kristine Taylor, the daughter of a veteran who tragically missed his chance to take part.

“I am here because my dad...received the call that he was going to be on this flight the day before he passed away,” she tells us, holding a framed photo of the late Master Sergeant Willis Noel. “I’m here to honor him and take him to D.C.”

For some veterans, it’s a matter of being seen in a better way. That’s the case for Edwin Schultz, who like many others, is taking the trip for the first time.

“Vietnam didn’t get much recognition until these last few years. People are starting to give us some credit now,” he says.

This is the 28th flight for the Greater Peoria program. To date, there are 140 Honor Flight regional hubs across the country, with around 250,000 veterans visiting Washington for free, according to the official website.