Military vets fly from Midway to Washington DC in 1st honor flight of season​on April 9, 2025 at 10:12 pm

CHICAGO (WLS) — The first honor flight of the season takes off Wednesday morning at Midway Airport.

A group of veterans will embark on a one-day trip to Washington, D.C.

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More than 100 military veterans from all different branches of the military

Honor Flight is a special one-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the veterans to experience their conflicts war memorials. For some, it is their first visit to the memorials.

Some veterans fought in the Korean War and the Vietnam War and even a 99-year-old World War II veteran.

The trip is to take them to Washington D.C. to see the memorials that were built in their honor, but it is really about the people they meet,” John Ptak, president of the board for Honor Flight Chicago, said. Our volunteers, we have hundreds of them out here this morning, it’s the other veterans, the camaraderie, the stories that they are able to share with their peers that really make the lasting difference and the memories of the day.”

The World War II veteran is traveling to Washington D.C> with his three sons who each served in Vietnam.