This month, dozens of veterans ranging in age from their 70s to over 100 will travel to Washington, D.C., on all-expenses-paid trips to visit the memorials built in their honor. Many will be visiting the nation's capital for the first time ever.
Wish of a Lifetime from AARP, a charitable affiliate of the nation's largest nonprofit for older Americans, is sending the veterans through two programs: Voyage of Valor and Journey of Heroes. Together, the veterans represent every branch of the U.S. military and span from World War II to the Vietnam War era.
"These two programs are unique in that they are coordinated group trips," Tom Wagenlander, vice president and executive director of Wish of a Lifetime, told Military.com. "Almost all of our other wishes are individualized."
Wish of a Lifetime was founded in 2008 and has granted nearly 3,000 wishes to adults 65 and older across all 50 states, about half of them for veterans or military family members. The organization became a charitable affiliate of AARP in 2021, giving it access to a nationwide network of state offices that help identify and support veterans in local communities.
Two Programs, One Mission
Voyage of Valor, sponsored by the Collette Foundation and run in collaboration with AARP Wyoming, takes place April 6-10 next week and is sending 15 Vietnam-era veterans from across Wyoming to D.C.
Journey of Heroes, a partnership with the Vital Life Foundation, runs April 27-30 and draws veterans from the Pacific Northwest across various eras of service, including two World War II veterans.
While in the nation's capital, participants will visit the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Women in Military Service Memorial, and the FDR and Martin Luther King Jr. memorials, among other historic sites.
Both programs have evolved beyond four-day trips into months-long experiences that begin with community events and luncheons in the veterans' hometowns, culminate in the journey to D.C., and extend well after the veterans return. Several veterans from last year's Voyage of Valor have returned to help with the 2026 cohort, attending send-offs and rallying local organizations to support the program.
"Voyage of Valor really tries to meet the needs of Vietnam-era veterans specifically," Wagenlander said. "We've found some benefits to restricting things by geography. It creates a greater sense of community."
This is the second straight year Voyage of Valor has featured Wyoming veterans. Wagenlander said the partnership grew out of AARP Wyoming's deep ties to local veteran communities.
"They are so entrenched and ingrained in the local community that they were able to pretty quickly get us a list of dozens of veterans who would want to go on this experience," Wagenlander said. "None of this would be possible without their assistance."
'I Am Very Proud to Have Served'
Among the Wyoming veterans heading to D.C. is Paul Perez, 79, of Rock Springs. Perez was drafted into the Army in 1967 and deployed to Vietnam with the 4th Infantry Division, based at Pleiku. He spent three and a half months in combat before a rocket struck his foxhole during the Battle of Dak To, killing his best friend, James Whitmore.
Perez was injured in the blast, awarded the Purple Heart, and spent two months recovering in a hospital before finishing his service in Korea. After returning home, he built a career in Wyoming, owning several businesses, including an oil tool company and a trucking service.
He said eight men from Rock Springs did not make it home from Vietnam, and he wants to find their names at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
"It's gonna be very honorable to see that," Perez said. "I am very proud to have served in the military and blessed I made it out alive."
On the Journey of Heroes trip later this month, 102-year-old Bert Hoeflich of Portland, Oregon, will make his first visit to the war memorials. Hoeflich joined the Navy while attending medical school at Baylor University in 1943 and served through the end of World War II.
He was called back in 1947 and spent two years as a squadron medical officer aboard a destroyer minesweeper before being discharged at the naval hospital in Bremerton, Washington. From there, he launched a medical career that included 40 years of private pediatric practice in Eugene, Oregon.
"I'm proud that I served," Hoeflich said. "I had two brothers older than I was, and both were in situations where they saw a lot of difficulties. During my time, I actually enjoyed both of my periods of service."
A Welcome Home Decades in the Making
The trips feature moments designed to bridge generational divides. During Voyage of Valor, students from the REACH Homeschool Group will meet with veterans and present handwritten letters of gratitude after studying their biographies beforehand.
"This is what is most frequently cited as the highlight by our veterans," Wagenlander said. "The students just kind of run out, and they go and try to find their vet to personally hand the letter. You just have to create the space, and then they fill it with love and appreciation."
The Voyage of Valor will end with a public welcome home rally on April 11 at the Lincoln Theater in Cheyenne, where residents will greet the returning veterans. For many Vietnam-era veterans, that moment carries particular weight. Perez recalled that the last thing an officer told him before he was discharged in California was to change into civilian clothes.
"Such a disgrace," he said. "It wasn’t right."
Wagenlander recalled a veteran from last year's trip who went to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial expecting closure but came away with something different.
"He said, 'I thought I would get a measure of closure. I didn't get that because I realized I had never given myself the space to actually grieve,'" Wagenlander said. "And a lot of the veterans also said getting off the bus in Cheyenne to a few hundred volunteers was the overdue welcome home 40 to 50 years later."
For Perez, the trip is a chance to honor the men from Rock Springs who never came home.
"My heart goes out to the families, all of the ones that had children in the Vietnam War," Perez said. "It's just an honor for me to have been in the service, an honor that I survived what I did."
Hoeflich, who has visited Washington before but never the memorials, is looking forward to the trip later this month.
"I have never seen any of the memorials of World War II, Vietnam, any of the new ones," Hoeflich said. "I feel quite happy to be able to see them all and what my country has accomplished."
Veterans or family members interested in learning more can visit wishofalifetime.org. Those who wish to show support can also sign the Wall of Valor or contribute to the Voyage of Valor fund. Nominations for future wishes, including individualized experiences beyond the D.C. trips, are accepted on the organization's website.
