At Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, emotions ran high as a group of Alaska veterans prepared for a journey many have waited a lifetime to take.

The flight to Washington, D.C. is part of the Last Frontier Honor Flight, a nonprofit program that gives veterans the chance to visit the memorials built in their honor — many for the very first time.

"This is an amazing opportunity to say thank you to veterans who never got a thank you," said Randy Kimpton, President of Last Frontier Honor Flight.

A Long-Awaited Thank You

For Vietnam veteran Charles Gillick, the trip brings a sense of closure after decades of being misunderstood.

"It wasn't the same back then. I was called baby killer and all kinds of nasty things," Gillick said.

Now, decades later, he and fellow veterans are rec

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