Veterans aboard the inaugural Middle Georgia Honor Flight started their trip full of excitement.
Many couldn't wait to see the war memorials and other sites around Washington D.C.
The group was all smiles as they flew from Macon to Baltimore and boarded a bus headed for the nation's capital.
The first stop of the trip was to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Then, they headed to see the memorials built for the Marines, Air Force, and Navy.
With each stop, veterans would reflect on their memories and experiences.
Some they would share with the group and others said they were still too hard to talk about.
Rain started to fall as the veterans arrived at the World War II Memorial. It continued to rain throughout the day, but the veterans were determined to make it to the rest of the memorials.
PHOTOS: Inaugural Middle Georgia Honor Flight
Emotions heightened as they toured the Vietnam Memorial Wall and the Korean War Memorial. The veterans shared stories of friends they lost and things they learned from their time in the military.
Some people would stop to listen in on their stories and offer hugs and handshakes to thank the veterans for their service.
Many of the veterans made comments about how wonderful it was to feel appreciated, and recalled memories of being spit on or yelled at with any mention of being in the military.
After being greeted back at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport by a crowd of patriotic supporters, they commented on what an emotional but rewarding day it had been and vowed to encourage their fellow veterans to make the next trip.
The Middle Georgia Honor Flight hopes to take another group to Washington D.C. later this year and several more in 2019.