Former President Barack Obama surprises former service members on Veterans Day

For­mer Pres­i­dent Barack Oba­ma deliv­ered a heart­felt sur­prise to a group of Kore­an and Viet­nam War vet­er­ans trav­el­ing from Madi­son, Wis­con­sin, to Wash­ing­ton, D.C., ahead of Vet­er­ans Day. The emo­tion­al encounter was cap­tured in a video Oba­ma shared on X (for­mer­ly Twit­ter), show­ing him greet­ing the vet­er­ans as part of their Hon­or Flight jour­ney.

“Ahead of Vet­er­ans Day, I was hon­ored to wel­come a flight of vet­er­ans and their fam­i­lies as they arrived in D.C.,” Oba­ma wrote. “To all those who brave­ly served our coun­try, thank you to you and your fam­i­ly for your extra­or­di­nary ser­vice. The sac­ri­fices that all of you have made to pro­tect our coun­try will be hon­ored, today and every day.”

The Hon­or Flight Net­work — a non­prof­it orga­ni­za­tion that flies vet­er­ans to the nation’s cap­i­tal to vis­it memo­ri­als ded­i­cat­ed to their ser­vice — coor­di­nat­ed the spe­cial trip. Since its found­ing, the group has trans­port­ed more than 300,000 vet­er­ans at no cost, thanks to dona­tions from sup­port­ers across the coun­try.

Dur­ing the flight, Oba­ma per­son­al­ly addressed the vet­er­ans over the inter­com, express­ing his deep grat­i­tude.
“Hel­lo, every­body,” he began warm­ly. “As we approach Vet­er­ans Day, I want­ed to stop by and just say thank you for your extra­or­di­nary ser­vice. To you, your fam­i­ly — the sac­ri­fices that all of you made to pro­tect our coun­try is some­thing that will always be hon­ored, and we are very grate­ful.”

Upon land­ing in Wash­ing­ton, D.C., the vet­er­ans received a hero’s wel­come as they pre­pared to vis­it icon­ic land­marks such as the Kore­an War Vet­er­ans Memo­r­i­al and the Viet­nam Vet­er­ans Memo­r­i­al — solemn spaces where many paused to reflect, remem­ber, and recon­nect.

The Hon­or Flight Network’s mis­sion is to pro­vide vet­er­ans with “the oppor­tu­ni­ty to share this momen­tous occa­sion with oth­er com­rades, remem­ber the fall­en, and share their sto­ries.” All vet­er­ans trav­el free of charge, a ges­ture that ensures no one is left behind due to finan­cial bar­ri­ers.

In a fol­low-up post on his Medi­um page, Oba­ma reflect­ed fur­ther on the expe­ri­ence. “To all those who brave­ly served our coun­try, thank you to you and your fam­i­ly for your extra­or­di­nary ser­vice,” he wrote again. “The sac­ri­fices that all of you have made to pro­tect our coun­try will be hon­ored, today and every day.”

The for­mer president’s ges­ture, sim­ple yet pow­er­ful, under­scored the endur­ing impor­tance of hon­or­ing the men and women who have served — not just on Vet­er­ans Day, but every day of the year.