The half-dozen West Point residents and their guides on the West Georgia Honor Flight to the World War II memorial were impressed with Washington, D.C., and all the history it has to offer.

Two days after returning from Friday’s whirlwind, day-long excursion, however, most on the trip say they’re most impressed with the first-class treatment they received, not just from locals, but even from strangers along the way.

“It renewed my faith in the country,” said Helen Zachry, who went along on the trip as a guide to two veterans. “I can’t believe the number of tourists who came up to us and said, ‘Thank you for your service.’ There were even children whose parents wanted their picture made with the veterans. Their parents wanted (the children) to remember the sacrifice.”

Harold Fuller, a Navy veteran, was a little surprised strangers wanted his picture.

“They didn’t know me from Adam’s housecat,” he said jokingly.

Another guide, Diane Davidson, went on the honor flight in honor of her father, a World War II veteran.

“It was like that everywhere we went,” she said of the appreciative crowds.

The veterans took in not just the World War II Memorial but other sites around the U.S. capital, including Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Korea and Vietnam war memorials and statute commemerating Iwo Jima. A local veteran, Jim Nix, 84, was chosen to help lay a wreath at the Iwo Jima memorial. He had witnessed the raising of the flag, depicted in the statue, from the wheelhouse of his Navy ship during the war.

“It was wonderful,” Nix said of the trip and the honor.

Glenn Smith, 94, said the trip “was worth it.”

Felton Smith, 92, now lives in Pine Mountain, but served overseas in the 3rd Cavalry of the Army.

“It brought back a lot of memories,” he said, after seeing the World War II memorial for the first time. “It was a long day but it was worth it. I’m glad I was able to make the trip. You really have to go to realize what it is.”

Zachry said those who organized the honor flight made a point to recognize vets who served overseas as well as those who may have been stationed closer to home.

“One general said, ‘It was still a sacrifice. It was still a life interrupted,’ ” she said, admitting to getting a little more emotional about the experience after reflecting on it for a couple of days.

“It got to all of us,” she said of those on the trip. “They were the greatest generation, but also the toughest.”