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The project is a race against the clock and the goal is to get as many World War II veterans to Washington as possible, so they can see the memorial. But, with about 1200 World War II veterans dying every day, they really have to work quickly.
The 29 veterans that came home Sunday are from Yountville. They saw the memorial for the first time Saturday and said it was absolutely amazing. They even shared some of their pictures with ABC 7.
A national group called Honor Flight works to get these trips organized and paid for. They estimate they have sent about 17,000 veterans to see the memorial. They started doing this when people realized veterans were not going to see it.
This group has now seen it and feels very proud.
"Everywhere we went we were clapped and photographed. So appreciative... I was really overwhelemed," said veteran Cayce Mae DuBose.
The volunteer group called Patriot Guard Riders showed up at SFO to greet the veterans when they got home Sunday afternoon. They usually greet troops when they get home from Iraq and Afghanistan but decided they wanted to show their appreciation for the veterans.
The trips take a long time to play as organizers have to raise all the money. The trip out of Yountville took about two years to plan. During that time, three people who had signed up for the trip passed away and eight others became so fragile they did not make the trip.
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