This past weekend, local veterans were invited to join a couple of pilots for plane rides in central Illinois.

Jeff Morlock with Battlecross Crusaders in DeWitt County helped coordinate the flights with Nelson Thorpe in Wapella and an Indiana pilot to get local veterans back in the skies. He says for some veterans, it was the first time they'd flown since their days in the service.

You might think it would take months of planning and coordinating an effort like this but Morlock says they were able to pull it all together in a matter of days in late October and early November.

Morlock sends out thank you's to Nelson Thorpe, Chad Foster, and Kerry Coles from Kenney Fire Department for being a first responder on the ground. He called it a team effort and a huge success for everyone involved.