Former President Obama surprised a group of veterans and their families who flew into Reagan National Airport (DCA) ahead of Veterans Day.
The former president, in a video he posted to the social platform X on Tuesday, walked onto the plane and thanked the veterans and their families for their service.
“The sacrifices that all of you made to protect our country is something that will always be honored, and we are very grateful,” Obama said to the passengers.
Later Tuesday morning, Obama posted photos of him handing out the Presidential Challenge Coin to veterans coming off the flight. The former president said he “grateful” to give the veterans “a personal token of my gratitude.”
Starting with former President Clinton, each president has designed a personal challenge coin to give to service members.
The flight, arriving from Dane County Regional Airport in Wisconsin, was part of the Honor Flight Network, which offers veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War free trips to honor their service.
After they arrived at DCA, the 87 Korean War and Vietnam War veterans and their families received a hearty welcome from dozens of people congregated at the gate, and then visited war memorials on the National Mall.
The Honor Flight Network has 128 hubs serving 46 states nationwide, according to its website. It has honored over 317,000 veterans since its first flight took off in May 2005.
“We just try to treat them with dignity that some of them didn’t get when they came home from the war,” Capt. Mary Quigley, a retired Navy veteran and Honor Flight volunteer, said in the video.
James Nelson, an Air Force veteran, said in the video Obama posted, it was “the joy of my heart” to see those gathered to welcome the veterans at DCA.
“It’s good. We still got patriotic people in our country, and that’s good,” Nelson added.
Army veterans Joe Parr and Greg Adkins, Navy veteran Nels Swenson and Marines veteran Dennis Guptill also marveled at the reception in the video.
“Every city in this country has got veterans in it, I guarantee it. Go up and say thank you, and just tell them how much you appreciate them,” Quigley said.
