Veterans from Charlotte, North Carolina, received a hero’s welcome at the World War II Museum in New Orleans on Thursday.
The moment marked one of the last group trips organized by the Gary Sinise Foundation as veterans age.
Dozens of American flags were waved to honor 22 WWII veterans who visited the museum.
The event was coordinated by the Gary Sinise Foundation and American Airlines for the final Soaring Valor program.
Since 2015, the program has given more than 1,400 WWII veterans the chance to visit the museum.
“It’s amazing. It’s amazing. Each stop along the way, there are people waving to us, thanking us for our service, bands, music, it’s amazing,” one veteran said.
Museum officials say only around 45,000 WWII veterans are alive today, compared to the 16 million men and women who served.
Even though this is the last group trip, the organization says it will offer any individual WWII veteran a visit to the museum.
READ MORE:WWII veterans receive hero’s welcome at museum in New Orleans
