PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A grand celebration awaited seventy-five veterans at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport on Tuesday night as they returned from their Honor Flight.

Amid a crowd of hundreds holding signs and playing music, the veterans were welcomed back after their day-long journey to Washington, D.C., where they visited war memorials.

“It was incredible. As a Vietnam vet, coming back initially, I wasn’t welcomed at all. This experience gives you goosebumps. It’s heartening to see people acknowledging our efforts over there,” expressed Richard Fink, the first veteran welcomed at the airport.

Honor Flight said this is the 53rd flight completed in the Hillsborough and Pinellas County area since the program was founded in 2011.

Each flight takes veterans who served overseas to the various memorials through our nation’s capital, completely free of charge.

“Since leaving the military, this was really the first time my service has been acknowledged in such a meaningful way, and it meant a lot to me,” shared John Stephens, another Vietnam veteran.

The trip lasted an entire day and was complete with a send-off in the early morning upon departure and an even larger one upon arrival.

Honor Flight has one more event this calendar year, a flight that takes off in late October.