Twenty-two Alaska veterans came home to bagpipes and crowds at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport on Saturday, Oct. 10, after a five-day Last Frontier Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C. The group left Anchorage on Tuesday, Oct. 6, on Alaska Airlines Flight 100.

In the nation’s capital, the veterans toured war memorials, including the World War II, Vietnam Veterans and Korean War Veterans memorials. Back in Anchorage, family members, friends and well-wishers lined the airport halls to greet them. Navy veteran Allan Howard said the reception “just kind of blew me away.”

Last Frontier Honor Flight takes Alaska veterans to Washington twice a year and covers the cost of the trip. Executive director Randy Kimpton said the program does it “free of charge for the veterans.” The organization describes the trip as a chance to give veterans the welcome home that many say they never received when they returned from service.