It’s 0600 hours in Fayetteville, Georgia and I’m up with troops preparing for a very special mission. I start making rounds, talking to many of the nearly 80 World War II Veterans about to take a trip of a lifetime.

They are heading to Washington DC to see the memorial built in their honor. For many of these veterans, it will be the first time they’ve ever seen it. The trip was provided by Honor Flight…an organization with one mission: to honor veterans for their sacrifice by sending them to their memorial in Washington DC for free!

As I speak to the vets, their excitement is easy to see. Many tell me this was a trip they never thought they’d be able to make. They are happy to talk about their appreciation towards Honor Flight, but when it comes to the war… most don’t tell me much.

Soon, we loaded the buses and headed towards the airport with an escort by local law enforcement and patriot guard riders. On the plane, some veterans start opening up to me and photojournalist Rich Brooks.  But still, the war stories were few and far between.

Two hour later we arrived in Washington, DC and the sight brought tears to my eyes.  A heroes welcome in the terminal.  A brass band played old war tunes.  A massive crowd waved flags, cheered and thanked each and every veteran for their service as they stepped off the plane. Watching their expressions, their reaction to this was truly one of the best things I’ve experienced.  I stood at the end of the reception line.  So many stopped and told me this was more elaborate then the reception they received when they returned home from war and one of the first times they’ve ever been thanked for their service.

At their memorial, even more thanks.  Most gasped to see how big it was.  They slowly made their way down into the memorial.  Facing the reflection pool and Lincoln memorial is a wall of stars. Each represents 100 service members who lost their life in WWII.  There are 4,000 stars on that wall! I felt a tap on my arm and saw one of the veterans standing beside me.  He told me about his experience storming the beaches of the Pacific, the men they lost and how lucky he was to be witnessing this moment when so many of his comrades didn't make it.  He told me that was the first time he’d ever told anyone his story.

It was amazing! The same veterans who didn’t want to speak about the war just hours before were now willingly sharing their stories. Luckily, Rich was around to record a lot of it on tape! The stories were unbelievable. Stories of the D-Day invasion, pilots being shot down by enemy fire and chilling tales from inside POW camps. I felt so privileged to be there at that moment.

From the memorial we took a quick trip to Arlington National Cemetery to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

By the time we got back to Atlanta it had been a 20 hour trip!  The elderly warriors seem renewed rather than exhausted by their whirlwind trip. 

Peharps because this was meant to honor these WWII Veterans who never asked for thanks. They went off to save the world and when they got home, continued on with their lives. They never asked for honors. The real honor, for me, was to spend the day with this great generation of heroes. It is a trip I am grateful to have the opportunity to take and one that I will never forget!

Today, if you see a veteran of any war, take the time to thank them!  I can tell you from experience, that small thanks means more to them then you'll ever know!

Click here to read more on this trip.

Or if you want to learn more about Honor Flight and their mission, click here.

Federal funding for abortion could tip the balance in the health care debate.

On Saturday, the House passed health care reform which includes a ban
on federal money being used to pay for abortions.

Would you like to see a similar ban in the Senate health care bill?

Leave us a comment.
We’ll share some of them on air in the CNN Newsroom, 11am – 1pm ET.

Nicole and Tony look at the online profile of the Ft. Hood Hero, Sgt. Kim Munley:

Since the report aired, we found out that she is a newly married mother of a 3-year-old daughter.  Her brother-in-law told us, "She is definitely a tough woman.  There's nothing that stands in her way.  It completely makes sense that she she what she did.  It was amazing.  Without her, there would have been a lot more people killed."

Think you know the news –
PROVE IT!

Play the CNN Challenge -
Challenge your friends ... Challenge yourself!
Go to CNNChallenge.com NOW to PLAY.

One year after he won a historical presidential election, 54% of Americans approve of the job Barack Obama's doing in the White House. Of those questioned in the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released today, 45% say they disapprove.

The survey suggests the president's overall approval rating remains above 50% even though a majority of Americans disapprove of how he is handling the economy, health care, Afghanistan, Iraq, unemployment, illegal immigration and the federal budget deficit.

We want to hear from you. How do you think the President is doing one year later?

Tennis superstar Andre Agassi says he used the drug crystal meth in 1997, before spiraling to 141st in world tennis rankings later that year. The stunning admission comes in an upcoming autobiography.
In a excerpt published in the Times of London, Agassi says he lied to tennis officials after failing a drug test, saying he accidentally drank from an assistant's soda spiked with the highly addictive drug. They believed him.

Agassi is not the first star athlete/role model to abuse dangerous drugs and lie about it - and certainly won't be the last. We want to know what you think. Are you shocked by the news, or is it just another celebrity-gone-bad story? Share your thoughts and comments.

Our iReporters show us the lines around them- that stretch around the block, in some cases:

Welcome to the new CNN.com! It’s a new look, a new feel, and packed with new features. The new version of CNN.com is all about giving you a better, more interesting and even exciting user experience.

Today in the Newsroom, Josh Levs will be showing you how to navigate through, while Nicole Lapin shows us the new iReport. Josh will also read some of your views on the air. What do you think of the new CNN.com?

Each year, the Wellcome Image Awards highlight the most striking, "technically excellent" images from the world of medicine. This year's are no exception. Some of them show life as you've never seen it. This morning in the Newsroom, we're showing you some of the best. You can see the gallery here:
Wellcome Image Awards
Popsci.com, a site we link to from CNN.com, calls them the "most amazing medical images of 2009."

The FCC put "Net Neutrality" on the books- Nicole and Tony tell you want it means to you!