On Sunday, the High Plains Honor Flight was a long-awaited event for Vietnam War veteran C. J. Brown, who said he struggled to find his footing when he returned home from combat in 1969.

“When I came home 50 years ago, we were villains and baby killers,” Brown said, as he was waiting at the Thomas M. McKee 4-H Building Sunday to board a bus to Northern Colorado Regional Airport. High Plains Honor Flight, a volunteer-run national nonprofit, honors war veterans with an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., to visit the nation’s memorials. “I’ve gone from … serving in a war that was uncomfortable until now, to a real-life person, and wherever you go, people are very respectful and thank you for your service.”

Brown, who was a combat medic from 1968-1969, has since served on the Cheyenn

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