LUCEDALE -- Despite a two-hour delay of Honor Flight on Tuesday morning, A.C. Hillman had a good time and really enjoyed the appreciation bestowed on World War II veterans for their military service some 70 years ago. A Korean War veteran also was among the group.

"It was fine, I enjoyed it," said Hillman. "We had some trouble taking off. It cut us short on seeing some things, in walking and seeing some things." Hillman, 91, traveled in a wheelchair with his son, Al, as guardian.

Honor Flight Arrives to Rousing Welcome Home Ceremony
The Mississippi Press/Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Tuesday's departure of the third Mississippi Gulf Coast Honor Flight was delayed when the airplane developed hydraulic problems, said Hillman. He said the flight departed Gulfport at 9 a.m. "on the dot" and arrived in the nation's capital about 11 a.m. "I looked at my watch," he said.

"We went to our World War II Memorial.  We walked and saw the Changing of the Guard, and visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, he said.

"The rest of the time we were on the bus. We drove around looking at things," he said. "We saw General Lee's home. We drove by the Lincoln Memorial and the Iwo Jima Memorial" and the Korean War Memorial.

He said they visited the Mississippi column of the World War II Memorial.

67 Years Later, the Homecoming
Sun Herald/Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Hillman said his son also had a good time. "He really enjoyed it. They made us feel real good. All kinds of people met us up there," said the father.

He said the apprecation and special treatment started on the airplane ride to the capital and concluded on with a grand Welcome Home celebration at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport.

"There was a crowd that met us at the airport. They really gave us a welcome home," said Hillman. "There was a crowd of people up there (in Washington, D.C.) that met us. They were telling us how much they appreciated us for what we did."