ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — People of all ages got to explore a special helicopter at the nation’s second largest Vietnam veterans memorial on Saturday.

“Operation Huey” took place at the LZ Peace Memorial, 6799 Guilford Rd. The “Huey” helicopter that flew in the Vietnam War was opened for guests to go inside.

It was a chance to see the bird up close.

Organizers hoped that those who came out to the memorial left with a sense of the sacrifices that were made during the war.

“Education is very important, especially young people. Their knowledge of the Vietnam War is very, very limited to what they read in the history book. It’s probably only a page… page and a half at the most,” said Chuck Larson, member of the Vietnam Veterans Honor Society and Smoke Brothers. “So, the more that we can educate young people about that, the better off it is. After all, history, you know, it’s our past. It’s something that we need to be aware of so that we don’t make mistakes that we made before.”

Organizers handed out “Huey Cards” and had their famous “Huey Cookies.” They hope this becomes an ongoing event.