Two days after Memorial Day, some deserving veterans will make the trip of a lifetime to the nation’s capital as part of the first Honor Flight of the year, scheduled for take off Wednesday this week.
A full group of 81 veterans and 81 guardians will depart Springfield National Airport at 4:30 Wednesday morning and return the same evening. Five of the veterans served in Korea, while 76 served in Vietnam. Fifteen live in Arkansas, with the remaining 71 residing in Missouri. As they board the chartered 737, the group will be honored by a guard from the Willard NJR ROTC.
This year the flight will land at Dulles International Airport instead of Reagan National. Organizers say the change will help the return flight stay on schedule. The flight is expected to return to Springfield around 7:30, and the public is invited to attend the “Welcome Home” celebration. Well wishers should be at the airport by 7:00 that evening.
While in Washington, veterans and their guardians will remain on the tarmac and use “people movers” to reach motor coaches that will take them on a tour of military memorials, including a stop at the Lincoln Memorial. Police escorts will accompany the group throughout the day.
Two additional Honor Flights are planned this year with one in August and another in October. Veterans from southwest Missouri or northwest Arkansas who served between 1940 and 1975 and received an honorable discharge are eligible to apply, regardless of whether they served overseas. Guardians pay $600 to accompany a veteran. Applications are available at honorflightoftheozarks.org.
For more information, contact Gary Ellison at 417-268-9052.
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