Honor Flight: Finding the meaning of Freedom in DC – WPEC

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12`)

(A CBS12 Exclusive: Watch the video above to see more from the Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C., as veterans see firsthand how their sacrifices have changed a nation.)

With his head tilted, Robert Erskine looks silently at the name carved in stone: Eugene Victor Erskine.

Gene was Roberts older brother, by about four years. Like Bob, Gene served in World War II, but never made it home.

His body wasnt found because he was a pilot in a plane that crashed in the Pacific, Bob Erskine, of Jupiter, said.

Erskine, a World War II veteran himself, a one-time medic in the Army, paid tribute to his brother by visiting his memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.

I wanted to go see it before I passed away, Erskine said. He was a wonderful person and I wanted to see him again.

Gene Erskines marker is one of more than 400,000 memorials and burial plots at Arlington. Rob Erskine had the chance to visit Saturday during an Honor Flight from West Palm Beach to Washington, D.C.

Honor Flight is a national non-profit program that uses donated funds to fly local veterans, free-of-charge, to the nations capital, where most veterans see for the first time in their lives, the monuments erected in their honor.

Saturday, more than 80 World War II and Korean War veterans from across Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast were flown to Washington, D.C.

Highlights of the trip include stops at Arlington National Cemetery and to see the World War II and Korean War memorials.

It reminds me when I see things here, I know what happened there, said 100-year-old Anthony Perguino of Palm Springs.

Perguino served as a Code Breaker in World War II, charged with helping to intercept and decipher enemy codes.

Most veterans on the trip shared their stories of war, life on the front lines and facing death. They knew, that with as many names that are etched in stone at the monuments, honoring those lives lost, that their names could have also been on those D.C. walls.

There were people who died, I want them to know that this monument here is a tribute to those people who died for their liberty, said Lamar Parker of West Palm Beach, a World War II veteran.

Parker actually snuck his way into the Navy in 1942, at the age of 16. He lied about his age to become a pilot of a Kingfisher, where he would hunt enemy submarines.

He, like the other veterans, take pride in sharing their stories and experiences. They, however, are left with little to say, as tears fill their eyes, when greeted in Washington, D.C, and again back at home in Palm Beach at the end of the day, by scores of people, cheering loudly, all wanting to simply say "thank you."

The trip also honored two recently passed veterans, who did not get a chance to make the flight.

Kenneth J. Young was Army aircraft mechanic, who served in the Pacific. Paul R. Peters was a Seaman 2nd Class in the United States Navy.

Their memories were honored as two American flags and photos of Young and Peters were brought on the trip; the photos and flags were later presented to their families at Palm Beach International Airport.

With pride in his heart, Parker said the trip was a full-circle experience for him. Parker said it gives him joy knowing that the sacrifices of many have not been forgotten, that their names and stories are still being told.

Southeast Florida Honor Flight charters four flights per year, two in the spring and two in the fall, to take local veterans to Washington, D.C.

Since the local chapters inception, they have flown more than 2,320 veterans to the nations capital.

The non-profit organization relies on community contributions to pay for the flights, as well as volunteers to act as veteran Guardians.

While World War II veterans get first priority, Honor Flight also accepts applications from Korean and now Vietnam War veterans.

To learn more about how you can support, get involved, or apply to be on a Honor Flight trip, visit http://www.HonorFlightSEFL.org

The next Southeast Florida Honor Flight is scheduled for Sept. 23, 2017.

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Honor Flight: Finding the meaning of Freedom in DC - WPEC