Washington - The WDAY WWII honor flight has arrived.
A charter plane carrying about 103 veterans and 71 escorts landed today shortly after 2 p.m. eastern time (1 p.m. central) at Dulles International airport. Eight committee members and staff were also on the plane.
The veterans, ranging in age from late 70s to 90s, all made the trip just fine, said honor flight committee member Dave Rice.
"They treated us like we were spoiled children, catering to us, answering our every whim," said John Welton, an Army veteran from Moorhead.
A 1939 graduate of Fargo's Central High School, Welton enlisted in the army in 1942.
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He joined the 101st signal battalion and worked as a radio operator before he took part in the invasion of Leyte, Philippines.
Welton said his military buddies never got together after the war. "This becomes a reunion," Welton said.
The trip, led by WDAY AM radio show host Tracy Briggs, brings the veterans on a three-day trip to the WWII memorial and other sights in the nation's capital.
Today, the group will attend a reception hosted by the North Dakota and Minnesota congressional delegations.
Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, who earned the Medal of Honor during WWII, will address the veterans.
