Former President Barack Obama surprises a plane full of veterans with a welcome message as the Honor Flight touches down in DC.

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

Former President Barack Obama gave a plane full of veterans the surprise of a lifetime ahead of Veterans Day — stepping aboard their Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., to personally thank them for their service.

The 64-year-old former president's unmistakable voice poured over the intercom of the plane filled with veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, ahead of their flight with the Honor Flight Network.

“As we approached Veteran’s Day, I wanted to stop by and just say thank you for your extraordinary service to you, your family, [and] the sacrifices that all of you made to protect our country,” Obama said in a video shared to social media. “It is something that will always be honored. And, we are very grateful — and we also happen to welcome you with a 70-degree day in D.C., which doesn’t always happen around here.”

The cabin erupted in cheers and applause. Some veterans stood, others gasped, and a few wiped away tears. Obama greeted the vets as they deplaned, shaking hands and posing for photos.

Click here to watch the video.

According to the Honor Flight Network, the nonprofit behind the trip, the organization provides free flights to Washington, D.C. for veterans to visit the memorials built in their honor. The group began by serving World War II veterans and now includes those who fought in Korea and Vietnam, as well as critically ill veterans of all eras through its Honor Flight TLC program.

“We show them all their monuments and explain what they’re about,” a spokesperson for Honor Flight said in the video. “We just try to treat them with dignity that some of them didn’t get when they came home from the war.”

The group says each Honor Flight allows veterans to reconnect, reflect, and “remember the fallen” — all made possible through donations.