Two planes of veterans travel to D.C. for the Honor Flight

ARLINGTON, V.A. (KVRR) — Over 200 veterans boarded two planes in Fargo to see memorials in their honor up close.
It is day one of a three-day trip to Washington DC.

Two-hundred-three men and one woman along with numerous volunteers set off for a “trip of a lifetime.” Some of the vets are lucky enough to share the time with their family.

Matt Dalum, Plymouth, Minnesota, says, “It worked out fantastic. I was actually with him yesterday and watched him take off to the airport and was able to slip on a plane this morning and beat them to Baltimore by a couple hours and surprise them as they came off the bus.”

His dad Roger Dalum from Barrett, Minnesota says, “We both had tears in our eyes.

Matt Dalum and Chase Johnson decided to surprise their heroes aka their dads for the trip.

Chase Johnson, Kensington, Minnesota, says,  “It means everything so I really respect him a lot and just being able to experience this with him is awesome.” Matt says, “His life was obviously impacted by the Army and armed forces and it’s indirectly had a big impact on my life so to be able to share this experience is invaluable.”

First stop of the day: National Museum of the US Army. A memorial nothing short of impressive.

Curt Johnson,  also of Kensington, says, “It’s great. I could spend another day right in here. I think to get it all taken in, it could take awhile. It’s great.”

For Roger Dalum, who was a combat medic and with the 1st Infantry Division, this is his first time at this memorial despite this being his second trip out here.

Roger says, “We’ve never been here cause it wasn’t built until 2000…2020, I guess. This is pretty impressive.”

After the National Museum of the US Army, the veterans traveled to Arlington to the Air Force Memorial.

Twenty-seven of those on the trip were part of the Air Force. But no matter where you served, these veterans share the gratitude of being here together.

Curt says, “You hear a lot of stories about back then and a lot of them you can’t quite believe. But it’s fun; everybody is in the same category.”

And something that doesn’t go unnoticed by the ones that live them the most.

Matt says, “Being able to take on extras like myself and bring us along so we can share the experience is just, I can’t ask anymore.”

The Honor Flight continues Monday and Tuesday. The veterans will return Tuesday night to a Welcome Home celebration at Fargodome, if you are interested in joining.