Twenty-five Hawaii veterans, mostly from the Vietnam era plus one Korean War veteran, finally got an official welcome home on a trip to Washington D.C. organized by Hawaii's new Honor Flight program, and it's a heartwarming story for veterans and their families.

It took three years to set up Hawaii's own Honor Flight hub, which flies veterans to the nation's capital to see war memorials and receive the recognition many never got when they first returned from service.

Many Vietnam veterans described being spat on, insulted, or ignored when they came home in the 1960s and 70s, so visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, and laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier offered a long-delayed sense of closure.

The trip also highlighted lesser-known veterans, including a 94-year-old Korean War veteran and women who served as Army nurses and in other support roles, groups that often got less recognition than combat troops.

Beyond the emotional homecoming, organizers are pushing for better VA healthcare access in rural Hawaii and are raising money, since each flight costs about $100,000, to bring roughly 240 more veterans on the waiting list to D.C. in future trips.

Outlook: Organizers plan two more Honor Flights next year, in spring and fall, but they depend on raising more sponsorship money to clear the backlog of waiting veterans.