Obama surprises veterans on Honor Flight, welcomes them one-by-one to Washington, D.C.

Ahead of Veterans Day, former President Barack Obama helped give veterans a warm welcome to Washington, D.C.

Imagine sitting on a flight, enjoying your ginger ale and Biscoff cookie, and suddenly you hear former President Barack Obama’s voice over the intercom. That was the surprise a group of veterans received ahead of National Veterans’ Day.  

“Hello everybody,” former President Obama casually said, stepping onto the annual Honor Flight. As jaws dropped and someone exclaimed, “What?!” the former president continued: “As we approach Veterans Day, I wanted to stop by and just say thank you for your extraordinary service. To you, your family, the sacrifices that all of you made to protect our country is something that will always be honored.” 

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This year, President Obama welcomed an Honor Flight honoring veterans from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The Honor Flight Networks’ program offers free flights for veterans to visit Washington D.C., where they are taken on a tour of the various monuments around the city dedicated to their service. 

“We just try to treat them with the dignity that some of them didn’t get when they came home from the war,” Captain Mary Quigley, a retired member of the U.S. Navy, explained in the video. “That’s the first time I’ve seen a president, former or current, greet an honor flight, and that is absolutely amazing.”

In addition to welcoming the flight upon landing, President Obama stood at the door of the plane, shaking hands with each passenger as they stepped off the flight. And for many of the veterans on that flight, it marked the first time they had ever met a U.S. President, despite the service they had done for this country. 

“A commander-in-chief, a leader who’s going to show up and tell you that your service was worth something…that’s the important part. So I think it was a great thing that happened,” Capt. Quigley added. 

“One of the honors of serving as President is having the ‘Presidential Challenge Coin’ — a memento that I have handed out as President and in the years since to the folks I meet who have served our country or their communities,” President Obama captioned a separate Instagram post. “ I was grateful to be able to greet veterans who served in Korea and Vietnam as they arrived in DC this weekend, and give them a personal token of my gratitude.”

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In addition to being welcomed by the former president, these veterans were met with celebratory cheers as they walked through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, a stark contrast to many of their experiences upon returning home from the war. 

“Every city in this country has veterans, I guarantee it. Go up and say ‘thank you,’ and tell them how much you appreciate them,” Captain Quigley urged. 

So today, and everyday we say thank you for your service. Happy Veteran’s Day.