Thirty-one veterans from Oklahoma and Texas boarded the Heroes Flight at Tulsa International Airport, bound for Washington, D.C. Fifteen of those veterans are from the Tulsa area, and together the group represents 249 years of m ilitary service.Oklahoma veterans like Dunbar Brown, who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Iraq War, or the War in Afghanistan, are headed to the nation's capital for three days at no cost to them. They will visit the historic landmarks that they helped protect and create memories that will last a lifetime.Brown says he is going to fight back tears and try to keep a smile on this special trip to Washington."I'm excited. I've been up since 3:15 and I'm ready to go to D.C.," Brown said. "I served during the time in Vietnam. So I went in after high school in 1972. I served three years active and three years inactive. I was a boiler technician. Everyone knows where that is. That's at the bottom of the ship in the engine room."Mayor Monroe Nichols, Mayor Debra Wimpee, and Congressman Kevin Hern were all in attendance for the special send-off ceremony.For families of veterans, their service and sacrifice does not go unnoticed."You look at those that did not get to come home. It makes you honorable. It just touches your heart," Brenda Brown said.A welcome home celebration is scheduled for Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Tulsa International Airport. This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. ...read more read less