A doctor on board is the only way some of these aging and terminally ill vets can see their memorials in Washington, D.C.

More than 100 mid-Missouri veterans have applied for an Honor Flight. Many heard about the free program from a university employee who's made it his personal mission to sign up as many vets as he can, as quickly as he can.

"It means a lot to me," Vietnam veteran and Honor Flight volunteer Tommy Highbarger says.

Many of the veterans who applied to Honor Flight did so because of Highbarger. He travels to nursing homes to tell aging veterans about the free opportunity to see their memorials.

For central Missouri's second Honor Flight, Tommy carried his father's bible to the steps of the Tomb of the Unknowns. Wilbur Highbarger wrote in it during the Battle of the Bulge - even when a motor shell wounded his arm, he kept writing with his opposite hand.

"The letters he sent to my mom, none of them were in his handwriting. That's because he had somebody write the letters for him," Tommy said.

Wilbur Highbarger died before he got to see his memorials, but his son is making sure others still get the chance.

"I felt to make this project successful we had to go to them because we could not wait for the applications to come to us, we had to go to them," Tommy said. "They shouldn't be thanking me, I should be thanking them. I just try to make it one day in their life that they know we're honoring them."

Dr. Lana Zarrar of the VA hospital and Dr. Lyndell Scoles of Primary Care Associates have also donated their time to accompany these vets on Honor Flights. For some of these vets with health concerns, that's the only way they'd feel comfortable going.

If you're a physician and would be interested in helping with these one day trips, you can email centralmissourihonorflight at yahoo.com.