Nearly 16 million Americans served in WWII. It took 59 years after the war ended to build a memorial to commemorate their service. Now, Honor Flight Nebraska is saying thank you by taking veterans to Washington D.C. to see their new memorial firsthand.

A turret gunner never forgets his plane, and Hal Barger still remembers his like the first day he rode it into the clear blue skies over the pacific during WWII.

"We went down to the federal building to sign up, my mother cried all the way, but I always wanted to be in the Navy air," said Hal Barger, Lincoln.

It was a fateful day -- Dec. 7, 1941 when a 17-year-old Barger heard his call to serve.

"What they done to us in Hawaii, to me was the most horrible thing I can ever remember. All those men dying, it certainly wasn't necessary," he said. "I felt I should served my country, my folks, my family. If I had it to do over again, I'd do it."

Now, at the age of 83, Barger keeps memorials literally carved in his mind -- replica planes he's made out of wood almost entirely from memory. But there's one image he can't recall because he's never seen it, the WWII memorial in Washington D.C.

"This, I'm certain without a doubt should be one of the biggest tings in my life. To go back there, and I'm certainly looking forward to it," he said.

It's the memorial to his service, and the service of 16 million other Americans who bravely fought, died and saved the world.

"There were just some super people who were in that war, and I miss them. I really do," he said.

On July 8, Barger will join 124 of those people. Together they'll visit their memorial in Washington D.C. free of charge.

"If you've ever seen an 83-year-old man cry, that's what you're going to see. I'm proud of it. I'm darn proud," Barger said.

Barger and his fellow warriors certainly earned their piece of ground in Washington D.C.

"We had some problems being shot at a few times, losing some engines, landing on nothing, things like that, that kind of makes you shake your head a little bit and look up there and say, 'thank you man,"' he said.

Now it's Nebraska's turn to say thank you to the many who donned a uniform, fought for the stars and stripes and became the pride of a nation.

"I'm proud of the people who were able to do what they did. There are some good people in this world of ours," Barger said.

Barger said he's been to Washington before and visited sites like Arlington cemetery. He said he rates that among his greatest experiences.

On this trip he'll get a special treat. He'll also visit the Vietnam memorial, which has significance for him because his son served in that war.