After staging at AA Cargo we went by bus to terminal D.  By the time we arrived at the terminal and we made our way through security the WWII vets and their families had already boarded.  An American Airlines official ask that myself and one other rider go on board the plane and make an announcement over the intercom wishing the WWII vets a safe journey.  After I made the announcement, everyone on board the plane erupted in applause and stood up for these heros.  It was a magnificient site to see.  Then the flight attendent ask us if we wanted to go down the aisle and shake hands with the heros.  So Mike Upchurch and myself did just that.  We visited and talked with as many as possible until the flight was ready to depart.  As we were getting off the plane the AA Captain thanked us for what we did, and told us he was waiting until we were finished before leaving the gate.  He told us to take our time.  They were already 10 minutes late.  It was a very emotional time.