Obama thanks Korean, Vietnam War veterans on 'honour flight' to Washington

Washington, Nov 12 (IANS) Former US President Barack Obama has expressed his appreciation to a group of Korean War and Vietnam War veterans aboard an "honour flight" ahead of Veterans Day, stressing that their sacrifices will be honoured "today and every day."

Obama made a surprise appearance in front of the veterans on the flight from Madison, Wisconsin, to Washington, according to a video clip that he posted on X on Tuesday.

The trip was organised by the Honour Flight Network, a nonprofit organisation that gives such flights to veterans and their families to honour them, reports Yonhap news agency.

"To all those who bravely served our country, thank you to you and your family for your extraordinary service," Obama wrote on X. "The sacrifices that all of you have made to protect our country will be honoured, today and every day."

Catching the veterans by surprise, Obama also delivered a message to thank the retired soldiers via the intercom on the plane.

"As we approach Veterans Day, I wanted to stop by and just say thank you for your extraordinary service," he said. "To you, your family, the sacrifices that all of you made to protect our country is something that will always be honoured, and we are very grateful."

The Honour Flight Network, which consists of over 128 hubs across the country, runs the program to honour veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War by bringing them to the US capital to visit memorials commemorating their sacrifices, according to its website.

It transports roughly 22,500 veterans annually. It has flown over 300,000 veterans to Washington over the last 20 years.

The network said its vision is to achieve a "nation where all of America's veterans experience the honour, gratitude and community of support they deserve."

--IANS

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