![]() Initially, a fear of flying held Worthen back from the Oct. "We try very hard to look at the eyes of the vets and realize it’s the only shot they’ll get at the Honor Flight," MacDonald said. "We don’t want to take that for granted.” Something 'that all of our veterans deserve' Run entirely by volunteers, Old Glory Honor Flight provides veterans with a free ticket to Washington. ![]() Since 2009, the local hub has served more than 3,400 veterans. The program is a chapter, or hub, of the Honor Flight Network, a national nonprofit that takes veterans to the nation's capital to visit the country's renowned war memorials and monuments, including the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. "We like to say it’s a whirlwind trip for our veterans," said Diane MacDonald, the program's founding board member and treasurer. That evening, the 80 WWII, Korean and Vietnam War veterans had completed what might be their last mission - Mission 38, to be exact, or the Old Glory Honor Flight program's 38th flight. The Army veteran said it seemed like "half of the city of Appleton" packed the airport's terminal. "I can’t tell you how many hands I shook," Worthen, now 90, said after his return from an Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C. RELATED: Honor Flight carries area veterans to D.C. RELATED: MacDonalds praised for honor flights ![]() It was raining - and, like that September night in 1946, dark - but this time, cheers, clapping and a massive crowd greeted the WWII veteran. Seventy years later, on a Wednesday in late October, and alongside 79 other veterans, Worthen experienced a very different homecoming at Appleton International Airport. It was the middle of the night, and the train station sat empty. ![]() In September 1946, Appleton's Jack Worthen returned home from Japan, where he was briefly stationed after World War II. Watch Video: Old Glory Honor Flight Mission 38 ![]()
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