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Honor Flight Gives World War II and Korean War Veterans A Chance to Visit Washington Monuments.

Joe and I were recently having lunch in Urbana and picked up a copy of The Springfield Paper to read while we were eating. On the last page of the section I was perusing was an article by Randall W. Ark about Honor Flight. Neither Joe or I had ever heard of this volunteer organization and we were intrigued by the idea.

Here’s how the Honor Flight Network works. Since many World War II and Korean War Veterans have never been to Washington D. C. to visit the monuments and memorials that our country has built to honor them, Honor Flight flies them in and gives them the chance to see these tributes to their service. Some Honor Flights also do the same for Vietnam Veterans and with the passing of the final WWII veteran, the organization will focus on Korean War and Vietnam Veterans. Because it is estimated that most of our WWII veterans will be gone in the next 5-7 years, Honor Flight hopes to give these veterans from “The Greatest Generation” a chance to see that their country appreciates their efforts and sacrifices.

Terminally ill veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are also invited to travel via Honor Flight, even though there are no current memorials for these service people.

Volunteer guardians travel with the veterans, assisting them to make the trip safe and memorable, since many of the veterans are older or have special needs.

The first flight took place in 2005 and since then, hubs have been created across the nation to fly veterans to see the Capitol. There is a hub in Columbus that works with veterans in the Central Ohio area. To access the web page for Honor Flight Columbus, go HERE. Once you are on their web page, you can find out how to schedule for a flight, volunteer, or donate.

Honor Flight is a non-profit and relies solely on donations to fly our veterans to Washington. The trip costs the veterans nothing, as Honor Flight feels these heroic men and women have already paid with “their outstanding service to our nation.” If you’d like to make a donation, please go HERE to donate for the Columbus Honor Flight or HERE for the national Network.

You can also find out how to volunteer by going HERE.

I can think of no better way to honor our veterans than traveling with them, listening to their stories, and letting them know we are thankful for their time serving in the military. If you feel the same way, perhaps you should volunteer to accompany a veteran on an Honor Flight trip.

Thank you to all of our veterans and current military as we celebrate this Memorial Day.

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