CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - 90 eastern Iowa veterans are slated to take a free trip to Washington D.C. Tuesday.

It’s the final Eastern Iowa Honor Flight of the year. Mission #57 will carry mostly Vietnam-era veterans. Despite the government shutdown, the flight is expected to continue as scheduled.

Among those flying is veteran couple, Bob and Carmen Irelan. Former childhood friends, the two of them both enlisted to serve in the Vietnam era. For the Irelans, it’s important to honor those who were killed in service.

“We lost a lot of people and they’re all recorded,” Bob said.

“A lot of them gave their lives,” Carmen said. “It’s a good thing to honor those vets that were over there.”

Since starting, the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight has seen thousands of veterans to the nation’s capitol. T

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