MACON, Ga. — According to the United States Census, only about 7% of Americans have served our country and even fewer have served for 20 years or more.
Theron Simpson is one of them- he followed in his father's footsteps and decided to enlist after he saw his friends signing up.
"I dropped everything and I went into the Marine Corps following them on Jan. 6, 1962," Simpson said.
His job took him all over the world, but he started his military career as a combat engineer in Vietnam.
"My first and second night one, we arrived in Vietnam and we had nothing. We disembarked and we layed in the evening on mats and cots on the ground," Simpson said.
This past weekend, he got together with other Vietnam veterans to take a trip to Washington D.C. and a trip down memory lane.
"Our first stop was at the Marine Corp Memorial. And that brought back memories," he said.
Simpson ran in the first-ever Marine Corps Marathon, and ran that marathon four more times. Each time, the finish line ended where the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial stands.
"While I was there Saturday, it didn't seem like it was sitting on a hill, but when you've run 26 miles and the last part of it was running up the hill after running all the way around that memorial, it was tough," he said.
All day long, Simpson and other veterans got to reflect, remember, and be thanked for answering the call.
"We had lots of, and I personally had lots of people coming up and saying 'thank you for your service, glad to see you're here,'" he said.
Roger Jennings started the local Honor Flight chapter and was on last weekend's flight.
"It was very special, because this one had all Vietnam vets on it," Jennings said.
In the past, some veterans have told him the experience was one of the most special days in their entire life.
"One of the gentlemen came up to me and actually hugged me as he said, you know, for 55 years I've been carrying this on my back, and today it lifted off," Jennings said.
Simpson said the professionalism of Jennings and his team the entire day is something he'll always be grateful for.
"I'm encouraging, because of my first-hand experience, I'm going to continue encouraging our other veterans to consider going," Simpson said.
Middle Georgia Honor Flight takes Korea, Vietnam, World War II and terminally ill veterans on these flights free of charge. Since it began in 2018, they've taken almost 300 veterans on a flight.
They take six trips each year, and encourage everyone who'd like to be on one to fill out this application on their website.
They also are looking for more volunteers, including people who can attend the trips with veterans as a guardian. To fill out an application, visit this link on their website.