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40th Honor Flight to Washington DC returning to St. Pete

The welcome home celebration is open to the public.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — Sixty-eight veterans are headed home from a daylong visit to Washington D.C. and the war memorials after taking flight Tuesday morning.

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport's 40th Honor Flight departed from the PIE runway and will return at around 8 p.m.

Members of the community are invited to the welcome home celebration for the veterans. Various groups, military and government leaders will be at the airport awaiting their arrival.

Honor flights took more than two years off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Honor Flight of West Central Florida President Bev Frey said they were happy to get the wheels back up.

"Our Veterans are so deserving of this honor and we are excited to fly our [40th] Mission to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials built in their honor," Frey said in a news release.

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Airport Director Tom Jewsbury also expressed excitement about the Honor Flight's return and invited the community to celebrate.

"Please join us for this community celebration to welcome our veterans home to PIE from their day of honor," he said. "Our 40th Honor Flight at PIE!"

Those who attend will be able to use free parking at the airport in the short or long-term parking lot. The airport warns those attending to be aware of construction on roadways around the airport.

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