 Different experiences and different emotions for 52 Vietnam war veterans from northeast Wisconsin. 



 All of them brought together for a special Old Glory Honor Flight that brought them back to a land that has changed a great deal from the place where they fought for their country, and their lives, 50 years ago. 



 Appleton's Ron Lingle calls the trip back to Vietnam a life-changing, humbling experience. 



 "I loved Vietnam. I was a little apprehensive about going...but I'm glad I did. A lot of closure." 



 When the plane landed in Saigon he started to realize something mystical was happening. Almost like spirits were there to welcome him. 



 The army veteran was talking about the troops, some of them his friends, who never made it home. And he shared that with the others. 



 "Made a lot of friends. Let go of a lot of things we've been holding for years. Feels good." 



 Black Creek's John Mynelschmidt says that was one of things that made the trip special. Everyone had their emotional issues to deal with....and soon found out they could lean on each other when the difficult moments came. 



 "You don't know how easy this is....to be with these people. Everyone you're talking to knows exactly what you went through, what happened, and what's going on." 



 That brotherhood was something Lingle took advantage of on several occasions. 



 "Everybody had stories to tell and some I could relate to and some I couldn't. But it's stuff that you've been holding in for years and need to let go of that." 



 What had Mynelschmidt amazed was the changes in the war-torn place he left behind when it was time to come home. 



 "Totally unbelievable experience. Hanoi and Saigon, just unbelievable. These people don't even know about the war. The younger ones have no clue. There's no animosity against us. They're totaling welcoming to us." 



 Lingle served at Khe Sanh in 1968, the scene of some brutal, bloody fighting. It was that stop that was the most difficult to take. 



 "When we stopped at Khe Sanh that was the worst spot for me. I left my coin there and said some prayers for some friends. The ones that didn't make it out of there." 



 And Drew MacDonald, with the Old Glory Honor Flight, kept the vets informed about the growing number of people back home following their adventures... 



 "Some of the feedback we were getting from home and on our Facebook page, raming up with followers. We started to realize this thing is snowballing." 



 It all added up to a release for Ron Lingle when he, and the vets, arrived at packed Menasha High School Saturday night. 



 "Wow, this is more than I could ever imagined." 



 Wednesday....The legacy of "Return To Nam".  Find out the ways this experience, and the lessons learned, will be shared for future generations.

Different experiences and different emotions for 52 Vietnam war veterans from northeast Wisconsin. 


 All of them brought together for a special Old Glory Honor Flight that brought them back to a land that has changed a great deal from the place where they fought for their country, and their lives, 50 years ago. 


 Appleton's Ron Lingle calls the trip back to Vietnam a life-changing, humbling experience. 


 "I loved Vietnam. I was a little apprehensive about going...but I'm glad I did. A lot of closure." 


 When the plane landed in Saigon he started to realize something mystical was happening. Almost like spirits were there to welcome him. 


 The army veteran was talking about the troops, some of them his friends, who never made it home. And he shared that with the others. 


 "Made a lot of friends. Let go of a lot of things we've been holding for years. Feels good." 


 Black Creek's John Mynelschmidt says that was one of things that made the trip special. Everyone had their emotional issues to deal with....and soon found out they could lean on each other when the difficult moments came. 


 "You don't know how easy this is....to be with these people. Everyone you're talking to knows exactly what you went through, what happened, and what's going on." 


 That brotherhood was something Lingle took advantage of on several occasions. 


 "Everybody had stories to tell and some I could relate to and some I couldn't. But it's stuff that you've been holding in for years and need to let go of that." 


 What had Mynelschmidt amazed was the changes in the war-torn place he left behind when it was time to come home. 


 "Totally unbelievable experience. Hanoi and Saigon, just unbelievable. These people don't even know about the war. The younger ones have no clue. There's no animosity against us. They're totaling welcoming to us." 


 Lingle served at Khe Sanh in 1968, the scene of some brutal, bloody fighting. It was that stop that was the most difficult to take. 


 "When we stopped at Khe Sanh that was the worst spot for me. I left my coin there and said some prayers for some friends. The ones that didn't make it out of there." 


 And Drew MacDonald, with the Old Glory Honor Flight, kept the vets informed about the growing number of people back home following their adventures... 


 "Some of the feedback we were getting from home and on our Facebook page, raming up with followers. We started to realize this thing is snowballing." 


 It all added up to a release for Ron Lingle when he, and the vets, arrived at packed Menasha High School Saturday night. 


 "Wow, this is more than I could ever imagined." 


 Wednesday....The legacy of "Return To Nam".  Find out the ways this experience, and the lessons learned, will be shared for future generations.

Old Glory Honor Flight has created a once in a lifetime trip back to Vietnam for Northeast Wisconsin veterans.  This marks their first flight out of the United States.  "Our Vietnam vets were treated poorly upon their return and many vets feel as if they endured the horrors of war for nothing," said Old Glory Board member Scott Delsart. "This trip will give these vets an opportunity for some closure.  Seeing firsthand how the Vietnamese people have recovered from the war, will undoubtedly induce some much-needed healing for themselves." 

The two-week trip runs February 24th through March 9th, 2019.  Follow along as we provide coverage of this emotional journey.

"There's going to be a day where you're going to break down in tears. There's a lot of things going on and it's just going to happen." ~ Army veteran Jimmy Umentum of Denmark, WI