Trip Of A Lifetime: Oklahoma Veterans Take Life-Changing Visit To Washington DC

A group of Oklahoma veterans said a trip to Washington D.C. has changed their lives forever. A new nonprofit raised enough money to send 56 veterans there - free of charge.

Most of the veterans had never been to our nation's capital before. For them, seeing the war memorials with names of the people they served alongside was both powerful and healing.

The first things you notice about Army veteran Kenny Littlefield are his shiny shoes and his big smile.

"We don't want to forget the people who died for us to have the freedoms we do," said Littlefield.

When you meet Air Force veteran Mike Emery, you'll always find a camera in hand, and a snapshot of history he can share at every stop. 

"I am so happy I'm here," Emery said. 

And it's impossible to tell who is prouder of the other: Army Veteran Brent Judd, or his son Skyler, taking on this trip together. 

"To see it from the generations before him is breathtaking, it really is," Skyler said.

"It's the trip of a lifetime," Brent Judd said. "It's something we can keep with us."

These veterans are all ages. They're from different military branches, and different wars. Each has a unique story of loss and sacrifice, but every single one said this trip has changed their life in some way.

The 56 veterans, EMTs, and guests became friends during their four days in Washington D.C. 

The journey was a dream Wayne Perego had after his father, Vietnam veteran Donald Perego, died 10 days before he could take an honor flight to D.C.

Perego helped start a nonprofit based in Pryor, the Northeastern Oklahoma Veterans Freedom Tours, to take Oklahoma veterans of all ages to historic cities.

"It's time for us to get our younger guys here also," Perego said.

The group worked hard for several months to raise $35,000 to send the veterans on trip at no cost to them. As he watched the impact D.C. had on every person, Perego hopes he fulfilled the promise he made to his father.

"He would be happy, he would be proud," Perego said. “My dad was somebody that had very few words. But he would be proud."

Each memorial and monument brought personal connections.

"The experiences, good and bad, are the things you never forget," Emery said.

"It's been emotional," said Chrishelle Kaufman.

Kaufman joined the Air Force in 1996, when she was only 17, as a medic. Two years later, a horrific helicopter crash killed 12 men instantly. Kaufman was there to collect any remains.

Six are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

"Not all of it is good memories. I kind of lost myself in there," she said. "I'm starting to figure myself out."

Kaufman laid coins at their grave. The quarters symbolize to family of the fallen that you were there as a soldier died.

As other veterans searched for their fellow service members at the cemetery, there were emotions, and embraces.

Reflections at the Vietnam Wall mirrored back the pain of the past. The thousands of names on the Vietnam Wall became individual stories, as veterans opened up about their friends who never made it home.

"Wayne Michalak was a pilot who was right here," said Willis Plute, a Navy Veteran who served in the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1970.

He knows of lot of the names on the Vietnam Wall, and each one brings a different feeling.

"It's very hard, in a way, too," Plute said. "A lot of memories. A lot of bad times. But it's the price some people pay for our freedom."

But this group isn't defined by the difficult past shared by its members.

"It's been a blessing to be around everybody and experience this," Skyler said.

"It doesn’t matter what war you're in, what conflict," said Littlefield. "You know what the other veteran went through and what they sacrificed."

As the four-day adventure came to a close, there was a special surprise: Hundreds of letters from Oklahoma kids thanking the veterans for their service.

"It brought tears to my eyes knowing a young man wrote to me.”

It was trip of a lifetime for those who put their lives on the line. 

"We never want to forget who gave their life," Littlefield said.

Northeast Oklahoma Veterans Freedom Tours is planning another trip to D.C. in September of next year.

To get involved with the group, learn about future trips, or help fundraise, you can visit the website here.