About 60 veterans and 25 counselors entered the McHenry High School gymnasium on Sunday to great cheers and applause. Family members, friends and community members also greeted the veterans by waving American flags and holding signs.

The veterans were returning from this year’s Honor Flight, which offers veterans the opportunity to see the sights in and around Washington, DC and foster camaraderie with other veterans.

The Honor Flight departed early Thursday and stops included the U.S. Capitol, Arlington National Cemetery and other landmarks.

The group landed at the Milwaukee airport on Sunday morning and was escorted by a motorcycle on the journey home to McHenry. Portions of the motorcycle escort were filmed and shared on social media. The Veterans Network Committee, which coordinated the Honor Flight, shared clips on Facebook of the escort on Interstate 94 in Wisconsin and Route 120 in McHenry.

As the veterans made their way to McHenry High School, people streamed into the gym to welcome them home.

By noon, McHenry High School cheerleaders and family and friends of the Honor Flight participants lined up at yellow barriers leading outside from the gymnasium to welcome the veterans as they exited the bus. The barriers were decorated with signs that read “Welcome Home” and “Thank You.”

As in years past, Sunday’s ceremony was intended to be a surprise for Honor Flight veterans.

Debbie Peterson of Lake Zurich was at the ceremony Sunday to welcome her brother Albert “Ted” Peterson back home. Peterson said she was “so happy” her brother was able to make the trip and thought it was “wonderful” that the flights were going ahead.

Peterson said her brother, who served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, wanted to text her when he arrived in DC, but he didn’t.

“He doesn’t know anything about it,” Peterson said of the welcoming festivities. Before the ceremony, she said she hoped for a good turnout and said, “It’s a nice way to end it.”

Johnny Vargas, 96½ years old and a veteran of the Korean War, was the oldest person on the trip.

Vargas said, “they made me king” and he was given a crown. One of the museums the group visited while in Washington featured many airplanes. “They had every airplane I could imagine,” Vargas said.

The warm welcome Vargas and the other veterans received on Sunday was a far cry from what veterans experience when returning home from conflicts such as Korea or Vietnam.

Mary Vargas, Johnny’s wife, said that when it came to Korea, “it was just ignored.” When Vietnam veterans came home, they were not treated with respect, according to Vargas.

Allan Heinke of Algonquin returned from his first Honor Flight on Sunday. He said he served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1970. He said he spoke with a buddy who encouraged him to sign up for the trip.

Heinke said he “loved” the trip, and one of his favorite moments was the motorcycle escort on the way home. He said when the Honor Flight landed in Washington, people in the lobby “clapped like ghosts.”

He encouraged everyone in the military to take part in the trip, especially veterans of the Vietnam and Korean Wars.

“I really hope” that they will continue the flights, Heinke said.

At the high school, the McHenry High School band played patriotic songs and there was a ceremony to welcome home the Honor Flight veterans. Sunday’s ceremony marked the third time the high school has hosted an Honor Flight since 2022.

An Honor Flight reunion will be held on November 9 at the McHenry VFW, 3002 Route 120, McHenry. The reunion will feature a screening of a film made by McHenry journalism students who accompanied the veterans on the trip. Doors open at 5 p.m., the film screening begins at 5:30 p.m., and appetizers will be served.

For meeting information, email the VNC at [email protected].