Twenty-five Hawaii veterans, mostly from the Vietnam era, finally got the homecoming and recognition that was denied to many of them decades ago.

• Hawaii's first-ever Honor Flight hub took veterans from five islands to Washington D.C. to visit war memorials, with Army, Marine, Air Force, Navy and Korean War veterans included.
• Many Vietnam veterans described being spat on, called names, or sent home with no welcome at all when they returned from the war in the 1960s and 70s; this trip was meant to correct that decades later.
• Stops included the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Military Women's Memorial, giving veterans a chance to find names of lost friends and family and be honored alongside women who served but were often overlooked.
• Veterans were welcomed at airports with cheering crowds, hula dancers, and honor guards, and received mail and medallions from the community on the trip home.
• About 240 more Hawaii veterans are on the waiting list, and the nonprofit needs corporate and individual sponsors to fund future flights, which cost roughly $100,000 each.

Outlook: Organizers plan two more flights next year, in spring and fall, but funding from local sponsors will determine how many veterans get this recognition.