Former President Barack Obama surprised a group of veterans, when he showed up to meet them at a Washington, D.C. airport. The veterans were about to take off on a special flight to see war memorials around the city, and none of them knew Obama would be there.
According to People, the group included men who fought in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. When Obama walked up to the plane, people couldn’t believe what they were seeing. He said hello to everyone and told them he wanted to thank them for their service before Veterans Day. The 64-year-old also joked about the nice weather they were having that day.
Mary Quigley, who used to be an officer in the U.S. Navy and was leading the tour, said she had never seen anything like it before. “That’s the first time I’ve seen a president, former or current, greet an honor flight, and that is absolutely amazing,” she said. She talked about how important it was for someone like a former commander in chief to show up and tell these veterans that what they did really mattered.
The moment brought tears and memories flooding back
James Nelson, who served in the Air Force, said seeing everyone there made his heart fill with joy. Another veteran mentioned that the last president he got to see in person was Gerald Ford back in the 1970s. Obama seemed impressed by that and asked him about it.
Joe Parr, who was in the Army, said he started crying because he couldn’t believe so many people showed up to welcome them and actually remembered what they went through.
For the Vietnam veterans especially, this kind of welcome meant everything. Greg Adkins, another Army veteran, remembered coming home from war to a very different scene where people didn’t want to see them and some even booed at them.
Nels Swenson, who was in the Navy, said he felt good knowing that soldiers today get proper homecoming celebrations when they return from war. He said this honor flight gave them the experience they never got back then, and it felt really nice.
Dennis Guptill served in the Marines from 1972 to 1976 and hadn’t been on a plane in 50 years. He said having the country put up memorials for people who served was the greatest thing anyone could ask for.
The Honor Flight Network is a group that doesn’t charge veterans anything for these trips. They bring veterans to Washington, D.C. so they can visit the monuments built to honor their time in the military. Having Obama there during Veterans Day week made an already special trip even more unforgettable for everyone involved
Published: Nov 12, 2025 05:45 pm