AMES, Iowa

Some veterans from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War got the attention and recognition that many people felt was long overdue on Sunday.

Nearly 150 Story County veterans are preparing to go on a Freedom Flight on Tuesday. Freedom Flight is a program that recognizes veterans by flying them to Washington to see the Veterans Memorial.

"As a Vietnam veteran, I think it's time. They need to recognize us," said Bill Hobbs, "There are a lot of opinions about that war, and we went to serve our country, and we felt like we did."

Friends, Family and fellow veterans gathered at Ames City Hall for a send-off. The veterans piled out of coach buses, donning bright yellow Freedom Flight jackets. They were ushered inside where a program thanked them for their service to the country.

Korean War veteran Lars Tjelta choked up thinking about what this means to him. When he came home from the war, he said few people acknowledged his service.

"My parents met me, my sister and brother and a girlfriend I had. That's all. People I worked for and everything didn't even know I had been gone," Tjelta said.

The veterans will leave Story County at 4 a.m. Tuesday, and they'll return about midnight. The trip costs about $95,000, raised by individual donors.

Read more from the original source:

Freedom Flight send-off gets emotional