This will be the second trip for the group trying to help aging and terminally ill World War II veterans vist Washington, D.C. before it's too late.

For the very first Central Missouri Honor Flight, the ladies at the VFW Post 280 made special boutinee flowers for the veterans. Red carnations and blue ribbons drapped the lapels and t-shirts of the veterans almost as if they were headed out on a date, a date with an honor flight that is.

The veterans landed at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport in Baltimore, Maryland Tuesday morning and were greeted with a warm welcome.  As soon as they got off the plane,the Veterans saw people cheering, giving them applause and waving flags in the veterans honor. The surprise at the airport was one of many the veterans would recieve. The veterans loaded the bus on their way to Washington, D.C., and the honor flighters caught a glimpse of President Obama's motorcade.

A young boy met the group at the bottom of the steps of the bus they road and handed each veteran a hand held flag. 

At the entrance of the World War Two Memorial, two more familiar faces came to shake the veterans' hands, a congressman and an anchorman.

"I came here to see my relative, Virgil Moore, I have greeted a lot of these buses and I think it makes the veterans feel better about their service," Sam Donaldson of ABC News said.

The World War II Memorial opened only five years ago, and sadly most of the veterans honored here will not live long enough to see it.

"We're dying at a rate of 1400 a day, we're not going to be around long." said veteran Marvin Proctor.  Proctor lives in the Columbia VA Hospital.

Honor Flight flies aging and terminally ill Mid-Missouri veterans to see their memorials at no cost to them.  This is a trip most veterans could not make on their own. Some use oxygen, others require a wheelchair lift. Each veteran has a guardian who helps them travel, sometimes a son or daughter or a stranger who quickly becomes a friend.

Bill Emerson came to the World War Two Memorial carrying a burial flag that once draped the casket of a fallen soldier. Private Charles Blake served in the Marine Corps during World War II. Blake didn't live long enough to see his memorial. Emerson placed Private Charles Blake flag in a wheelchair and with a single salute welcomed him home to the memorial. 

"That flag belongs to my family," said Barb Brueggeman, President of Central MO Honor Flight.  "It has not been out since my dad died before I was born. And when Mr. Emerson stepped up and saluted it, it just took my breath away."

People in Mid-Missouri mailed Honor Flight photos of loved ones who died before they got the chance to see their memorial. Each of the honor flight veterans held their pictures. By some estimates, Missouri is losing its World War Two veterans at a rate of 20 a day. Most of the people organizing these honor flights are doing it in memory of loved ones.

Mary Paulsell brought a photo of her Dad. 

"I see my dad's face in everyone of these men. They left their moms and did what they had to do," said Paulsell.

Marilyn Proctor is thankful for each day she still has with father, Marvin Proctor. However, with his deteriorating health, she knew an honor flight was the only way he'd be able to see his memorial.  The memorial also includes three dimensional scenes so the visually impaired can still experience it.  One blind veteran, a former prisoner of war, was found lingering on the bronze walls.

On the flight home another surprise was given to the veterans 30,000 feet above the ground, a roll call to be remembered. Each of the veterans received a stack of hand written letters. This mail call came from family, friends, and a group of thankful students at Columbia Independent School.  Some of the veterans could no longer hold pieces of paper, their eyesight no longer enables them to read, so the guardians stepped in to read the letters.

As the veterans arrived at the St. Louis Airport, a group of young soldiers gathered ready to start their own journey symbolizing one Honor Flight ending, another mission just beginning.

The Columbia Independent Schools' veteran letters are attached in the link above on the left. You can also see additional video of the letters by clicking on the KOMU.com Extra Video link.

To get involved with Honor Flight: It costs $300 to adopt a veteran and right now there are more than 50 mid-Missouri veterans on a waiting list.  To apply, see the Honor Flight logo on the KOMU.com homepage.