BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Honor Flight Kern County has landed back at Meadows Field after taking 20 veterans to the nation's capital in honor of their service — just weeks after the first-ever cancellation in the program's history.
The earlier flight was forced to stand down after issues pushing the plane back from the gate delayed the departure and led to its cancellation. While that flight is rescheduled for spring of next year, Honor Flight Kern County wanted to put together one more trip for 2026, sending almost two dozen veterans and guardians each on the trip of a lifetime.
Back home, it was a celebration as the veterans made their return to friends, family, and community members.
The trip was a family affair for Lowell Tallon, a U.S. Army veteran who was slated to be on the cancelled flight. When the opportunity to go presented itself again, he jumped at it.
"My brother reached out to me, and he said, 'Hey, I'm going to nominate Dad for honor flight, and if he gets accepted, I think that we should both try to go," Karrie Gallemore said.
And soon after, the ball got rolling, and the three were on their way to Washington, D.C., to take in the sights and sounds of the capital.
"Having both his son and daughter on the trip, I think it made it even more special for him and certainly for us," Kevin Tallon said.
"It was such a glorious experience for me to be with my son and my daughter and to share those moments in Washington, D.C.," said Lowell. "You see it on television, but it's different when you're there."
The next Honor Flight is in the spring of 2027. To learn more about it, you can find that information in this story online.
This story was reported on-air 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.
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