Washington, DC (WBEN) The sun and warmth Honor Flight veterans received Saturday afternoon was swapped out for clouds and rain as they woke up Sunday morning. Their first stop was Arlington National Cemetery.
Russ Casterline, Eugene Pierce, Mike Cutini and George Snedded laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in a solemn ceremony. "I was very excited to get the call the lay the wreath," says Cutni, a veteran of Vietnam. "It was humbling."
For Casterline, it was yet another surprise. "I'm being honored for something I never thought I'd be honored for," says Casterline. The day before, the 97 year old Marine veteran received an Ambassador of Peace medal at the Korean Memorial. "Often time we think of the known, it's important to think of the unknowns as well," says Eugene Pierce. George Snedden admitted he didn't get much sleep the night before.'
"When they play Taps, it gets you," says Ray Borowski, an Air Force veteran during Vietnam.
The next stop for the 37 veterans was the Marine Memorial, with Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima on top. It was something high on the itinerary list for Andre Martinelli. "Just to see the great men holding that flag up at a time where it wasn't come and enjoy yourself, it was a battle to take that mountain," says Martinelli, who served in Vietnam.
The veterans also spent time at the FDR and Pentagon 9/11 Memorials.
FDR MemorialTom Puckett WBEN photo
A parade scrapped a scheduled trip to the Navy Memorial. Instead, they toured the Jefferson Memorial.
Jefferson MemorialTom Puckett WBEN Photo
The latter was a surprise, and for some veterans, there was an added surprise during their trip. That's coming up later in the week.
