PHOENIX — More than three dozen Arizona veterans boarded a flight to the nation's capital on Wednesday to visit their respective war memorials.
The three-day trip was paid for courtesy of Honor Flight Arizona, a non-profit organization.
Diane A. Franzese, the leader of the Arizona Hub, said their organization fundraises to coordinate five to ten flights a year.
Veterans are also accompanied by volunteer guardians who help them with things they need throughout the trip.
"What I am really looking forward to is just listening, hearing the stories and really being there as a partner as the veterans go through their experience," Jane Przeslica, one of the guardians on the trip said.
Franzese described the trip as a "visit of thanks and remembrance."
"Some of them have never been there to see their memorial whether it WWII, Korea, Vietnam," Franzese said. "This is an opportunity for them to be represented to be treated like kings and queens."
Lawrence Moody, a Marine veteran, said he was excited it was "finally his turn" to take the flight and said he looked forward to honoring his father at the WWII memorial.
"They give us an honor flag, and I can go honor somebody, and I want to honor my father," Moody said. "I found out my father was a pharmacist mate on a transport ship and he told me that he used get peanut butter crackers for all the Marines going down on the floor, but then he worked at triage on the boat where all the guys came back. He was in almost every battle in the Pacific."
Moody and other veterans said they enjoyed connecting with other veterans throughout their trip and also sharing stories.
Margaret Waldron, a Navy veteran, shared she served in the Navy from 1958-1960.
"The reason I was only in for two years is I got married and got pregnant. What a surprise," Waldron said. "Women couldn't be pregnant in the military at that time so I was automatically discharged."
Waldron said although she had been to D.C. before, this would be special.
"I'm not going as a regular tourist," Waldron said. "You can not believe how valuable these [monuments] are. It shows the American people truly do honor our service and it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman."
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