Final Western Slope Honor Flight Touches Down in Grand Junction

Hundreds of People Pack Airport for Hero's Welcome Home Rally

Grand Junction - It is a hero's welcome home at Grand Junction Regional Airport Thursday night as more than 90 World War II veterans come home from their trip to Washington, D.C. It's all part of the fifth and final Western Slope Honor Flight.

The Honor Flight touched down a few minutes ahead of schedule Thursday night and what was there to greet the veterans can only be described as a hero's welcome home.

This was the final flight, the final mission for the Western Slope Honor Flight organization. Over the years the group has sponsored five flights and made trips to the memorial possible for hundreds of veterans.

This trip was a 36-hour whirlwind tour of the capital, but it was the welcome home that left these veterans speechless, and as they walked through the hundreds of cheering people, one message was very clear.

"They are true heroes, and we are so honored to be here and to honor them," a member of the Western Slope Boy Scouts of America said as he cheered on the passing veterans.

Organizers say this flight was bittersweet because it is the last one they are organizing from here. Congressman Scott Tipton presented Kevin Wodlinger with a special honor during the trip. He is the person who founded the Western Slope Honor Flight.