Hundreds of family members, military veterans and other well-wishers heard the national anthem sung three times Sunday before the latest Honor Flight arrival at San Diego International Airport.
It was a special salute in advance of a special homecoming.
As in Navy special warfare operators, mostly retired SEALs.
Ninety Vietnam veterans between the ages of 72 and 89 got the festive, cheering, flag-waving welcome home they never had more than 50 years ago when many in a divided nation held servicemen and women in contempt.
Sunday afternoon’s escalator ride down at Terminal 2 saw salutes from Navy personnel and allied groups. Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts held signs of support.
Saluting back — and first down the escalator with his wife, Rainey — was retired Lt. Mike Thornton, 78, who received the Medal of Honor from President Richard Nixon in 1973.
Thornton served four tours in Vietnam.
“And every time I came back, it got worse and worse and worse,” he said. “So I think [service members] felt very bitter about how they were treated when they came back.”
Before the all-volunteer-organized trip, which began early Friday morning, Thornton told Times of San Diego he counsels fellow Vietnam veterans: “Be proud of who you are; be proud of what you did.”
Family members who hadn’t accompanied the veterans on their flight to Baltimore (and visits to Washington memorials and monuments) savored hugs and kisses near Baggage Claim.
Tears flowed on both sides of a cordoned off path.
As Scouts collected donations for the next charter-plane trip, an announcer noted this was the first Honor Flight devoted to Navy SEALs.
Previous flights in the nationwide network — since 2010 in San Diego — focused mainly on World War II and Korean War veterans.
First in a series of reports on the latest Honor Flight.