One-hundred nine veterans made the trip of a lifetime and now they are back home.

It's an experience many of them say they'll never forget, but it didn't come without waiting and wondering.

Many of this flight's veterans signed up to be on the first flight out of Sioux Falls, but there weren't enough seats, still many say it was well worth the wait.

Honor Flight is a trip dedicated to those who've served. More than 300 South Dakota veterans have made the journey. A hundred more former servicemen and women boarded the plane Friday after months of anticipation.

“They said first come, first served and so they had one from Sioux Falls, one from Rapid. They put me on the one from Aberdeen but they had some one from Gettysburg who needed so they put them on instead,” Veteran Donald Reilly said.

Many signed up as soon as they heard about the program, but the plane could only hold so many veterans.

“Every time we didn't know so we just sit back and carry on,” Veteran Arthur Warejcka said.

Flight number four turned out to be these veteran's chance and once they received the phone call, it was a matter of counting down the days.

“I was at the right place at the right time and I made it,” Warejcka said.

For some, this weekend was the first time they'd seen their memorial. For 83-year-old Reilly, it was also his first flight.

“Didn't know what to expect but sort of like sitting on the davenport so enjoyed it, everything here,” Reilly said.

They waited for several months for Honor Flight four to get off the ground, and for these veterans, the new experience was just the beginning of a weekend of remembrance and honor.