This was a much different homecoming than the one that followed Anthony Van Zant's tour in Vietnam.

The Nixa veteran was met with a throng of flag-waving supporters Tuesday at Springfield-Branson National Airport, a near-midnight scene with the markers of a hero's welcome.

Van Zant waved to hundreds as he sauntered through the terminal to a soundtrack of patriotic tunes played by a Shriner band. He was greeted with congratulatory signs and a giant cut-out poster of his face.

Of the dozens of local vets who took part in Tuesday's annual Honor Flight of the Ozarks and returned to Springfield in celebration, most were enlisted during the polarizing Vietnam conflict.

Van Zant, who was a Navy technician on a ship that rescued downed pilots along Vietnamese coasts, saw the worst of it.

The tumult didn't end on American soil.

"When I came back (from Vietnam) in the spring of 1973, there wasn't a soul here at this airport, and I had to bum a ride home,"  Van Zant said. "Back then, a lot of people were against the service members and (would) holler at them or spit at them. It was ugly."

More: Honoring our heroes: What Ozarks veterans experienced on the August flight to Washington

Tuesday was a contrasting experience. Van Zant family friend Jarad Giddens, who also happens to be a council member and mayor pro tem in Nixa, made it even more memorable.

Giddens, who was among the roughly 500 supporters, made a public proclamation near the airport's exit: Aug. 23 is officially Andrew Van Zant Day in Nixa.

"Needless to say, (Vietnam veterans) didn't get a Toby Keith song when they returned," Giddens said. "Things were a lot different. (Van Zant) is a good guy and he deserves this."

Van Zant, who worked more than three decades at General Electric before retirement, began to soften with emotion as he held the proclamation letter.

"Wow. My own day," he said.

More than 80 veterans boarded an airplane early Tuesday morning for the daylong trip to Arlington, Virginia. Honor Flight programs around the country send veterans on tour of several war memorials and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Honor Flight of the Ozarks is one the country's 128 chapters, and the program that sends veterans on the trip at no cost. When they return in the evening, it's often to a joyous and appreciative crowd.

Jim Parker, 85, a Marine in the 1970s, had the opportunity to go on the Honor Flight with his son, who also served in the military.

The Carthage native and longtime Springfield resident planned on going in 2020, but the coronavirus derailed Honor Flights for two years.

"It really gets your attention," Parker said of the tour. "The Vietnam memorial had the names of 50,000 who didn't make it home."

Parker, a computer specialist who was drafted into the military, was welcomed back from his flight Tuesday by a young child who thanked him for his service and gave him a wristband.

A different experience, Parker said, from when he landed in American cities in airplanes at the height of Vietnam.

"They wanted us to wear our civilian clothes on the planes, to avoid any trouble," said Parker, who was stationed in California. "Usually, we could get a military discount with the uniforms, but we were told not to wear them."

Tuesday was also an emotional trip for Springfield's Dwight Moore, who went on the flight with a longtime friend. He enjoyed the trip and the return support.

Moore taught communications in the Army. Many people he knew were in Vietnam war zones.

"A lot of good people went there," said Moore, who was stationed in the states. "I was in Georgia, where we were received well. They were friendly. In California, not as much."

The third and final Honor Flight of the Ozarks of the year is slated for Oct. 25.