WASHINGTON, D.C. — As more than 100 veterans disembarked from the Sun Country jet and entered the terminal at Dulles International Airport, their faces lit up at the sight of the crowd there to greet them.

Flags were waved and there was much hand-shaking. People embraced. Some burst out in cheers.

These were the ways the people welcomed the members of the Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight. It was a warm welcome to the Washington, D.C., area for the group that rose early Wednesday morning to arrive at the Fort Dodge Regional Airport by 5 a.m. to get checked in and receive their boarding passes.

The flight lifted off around 6:45 a.m.

After the enthusiastic welcome in D.C., three buses were loaded with veterans, Honor Flight staff, a medical team and a host of volunteers who were there to help. Down the freeway to the National Mall, the interior of the buses buzzed with chatter.

For Walter Wearmouth, of Des Moines, who served in the Navy from 1968 to 1973, this was his first time visiting D.C. He said it is an opportunity to honor his country.

At the west end of the National Mall, the veterans stopped at the Korean Veterans, Lincoln and Vietnam Veterans memorials.

Luverne Bruening, of Wall Lake, was one of a handful of Korean War vets who made the trip to D.C. He served in Korea as a firefighter with the Army. He recalled that the two biggest fires they battled were in Seoul on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. He said he wishes that he could go back to Korea to see how it has changed since his time there. Bruening at first didn’t think too much about going on an Honor Flight, but attributed his decision to his son who had served in the Navy,

He said his son told him, “Dad, you better go. You’re getting older and if you wait any longer you’ll miss your opportunity.”

There was one veteran from Hamilton County on the flight. John Larson, of Webster City, was drafted and served in the Army where he was trained in generator repair. After spending the first year in the Army in El Paso, Texas, he received orders for Vietnam and spent 11 months there from 1968 to 1969 where he continued his work in generator repair. Looking back over his time there, he said he was struck by the beauty of the country with lots of rivers and trees. He was sent toTây Ninh in Southeastern Vietnam where he was working on a base that was basic, but had buildings for sleeping quarters that were just tin huts that had screens all away around and sandbags stacked up. The sandbags, he said, were to block the rockets fired from Cambodia that could reach the base. For this reason, he said the city had the nickname of “Rocket City.” He said, “When the lights went out I went out and started the generators up. Then the lights went back on. That was my job.”

He was eager to see the nation’s capital, he said. “I’ve never really been to D.C. and it’s gonna be really interesting to see all the monuments and to see the city. I’m really looking forward to it and it’s gonna be amazing. And I want to give a shout out to the people who organize this. It’s really quite something. I appreciate it.”

Andy Kuper and Duane Brincks stopped at the Lincoln Memorial to see the iconic statue of Abraham Lincoln. They remarked that the statue is much larger than they had imagined.

Both served during Vietnam, Kuper in the Army with a medical unit as a mechanic working on ambulances. He said the ambulances were just like what people who watched the television show MASH saw. His service was in Germany during the Vietnam War.

Brincks was in the Navy, serving on two aircraft carriers, the USS Ranger and the USS Kitty Hawk, off the coast of Vietnam. Kuper expressed appreciation that the Honor Flight trip is available to veterans in northern Iowa. Brincks said it “means a lot, especially for the older veterans.”

Today Roy Miller is the mayor of Moravia, a town of fewer than 650 people in southern Iowa. He spent decades driving a truck after the war and when he retired he took up politics, getting elected mayor of the small town. However, when was a young man, he served in the Army doing long-range patrol reconnaissance — or LRRP — going deep into enemy territory to report what the enemy’s doing. He was in Vietnam from July 1968 to July 1969.

Miller became choked up when recounting, “One night I lost my whole team. There were four of us out on patrol. Two were killed and one badly wounded. This happened in Quảng Trị.”

He was able to find their names on the wall.

“I lost a lot of people, even neighbors of mine who died that are on the Wall. It just stays with you. The loss just stays with you.”

He said of the Honor Flight, “It means the world to me to see this and the people that took the time to come up with the Honor Flights. It took a lot of time, courage and work just to get it started and to keep it going and it means a lot to all veterans that go on this. I know it does me.”

A short bus tour around the downtown Washington, D.C., ended at the World War II Memorial where two members of the Honor Flight, Bob Patterson, of Ida Grove, and Bud Pittman, of Jefferson, were recognized as having served in World War II.

Patterson was a pilot in the Army Air Corps and flew C-46 Cargo planes in the Pacific Theater. He said he never encountered any trouble from enemy aircraft, but did mention the terrible weather he encountered. Pittman served in the Navy, mostly as a cook.

Pittman said he will turn 97 in October. Patterson will be 101 later this month.

Next, they went to Arlington National Cemetery for the Changing of the Guard. They were also witness to a wreath-laying ceremony which, while happening occasionally, is not usually done. As the wreath was hung in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Taps was played.

The afternoon was winding down as stops were made at the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial where a group photo was taken of the entire Honor Flight ensemble. There, there was a quick stop at the Air Force Memorial.

By then, it had been a long day. It was time to head home.

They arrived back in Fort Dodge shortly after 11:30 p.m.

Before deplaning, an Honor Guard received two flags that were on the flight in honor of two veterans who passed away ahead of the Honor Flight: Sgt. Gerald Auten and Capt. Douglas C. Nelson. The flags were presented to members of their families.

After the flag ceremony, as the veterans departed the aircraft, they were met by the Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree Honor Guard, an “avenue of flags” and a multitude of cheering Americans welcoming the heroes home again.