MACON, Ga. — Middle Georgia Honor Flight is part of a national organization that takes veterans to Washington D.C. for a day of seeing memorials being honored- completely free of charge.
The local non-profit takes six groups of veterans each year, and on Saturday morning, they took a crowd of 15 Vietnam War veterans.
Lou Popp is one of them. He signed up for an honor flight during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Almost three years ago so, and that was fine. It was something to look forward to," he said.
After waiting patiently for the moment to arrive, he woke up at 3:00 a.m. on Saturday ready to start the adventure of a lifetime.
Popp served on a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine in Scotland during the war and said he's excited to see all the ways veterans are honored in Washington D.C.
"The Navy Museum's my big thing, 'cause I was in the Navy. So that- that's gonna be interesting, I'm looking forward to seeing that, and of course the Vietnam Wall," he said.
Seeing the memorials will be a memory he'll share with his son, Chris Popp, who's joining him on the trip as a guardian. He said when he was growing up, his dad made sure he understood the sacrifice that so many men and women gave during the Vietnam War.
"I'm a little younger than the Vietnam generation I guess, so- but I've heard stories about it," Chris Popp said.
It's through stories that the memory of sacrifice is kept alive. Paul Dixon is also on Saturday's honor flight, and he served in the 82nd Airborne Division and with the 22nd Surgical Hospital.
All these years later, he still remembers what it was like coming home from serving.
"Like coming to another world. You know, not coming home to a, you know, hero or nothing. It was just, ridiculed and talked about and neglected," Dixon said.
On Saturday's flight, the 15 men will get a day full of thanks and honor for the sacrifice they gave many years ago.
"It's a privilege and honor to be accepted in, and to be with other veterans that's been over there," Dixon said.
Lou Popp agrees.
"It's something that's really special and it's a once in a lifetime thrill to do," he said.
Middle Georgia Honor Flight has served over 200 veterans since it began in 2018, board member Ben Sandifer said. The organization is accepting applications for terminally ill veterans, Korean War veterans, Vietnam War veterans, and World War II veterans.
You can find the link to apply here. Each veteran can take one guardian with them on the trip, free of charge. They are also accepting volunteers for a variety of roles, and you can apply here.