 Because of an anonymous donation, Mark McDonald and
a WSEC cameraman will be on this Honor Flight to obtain video footage to create
an "Illinois Stories" program to be aired at a later date.
A "welcome home" ceremony will take place at the Abraham Lincoln
Capitol Airport when the plane returns at 9:25 p.m.
Veterans on this flight will come from the towns of Alton, Argenta,
Astoria, Athens, Auburn, Beardstown, Bloomington, Brighton, Bunker
Hill, Chatham, Clinton, Dawson, Decatur, East Peoria, Farmersville,
Forsyth, Gillespie, Girard, Godfrey, Golden, Hartsburg, Hillsboro,
Jacksonville, Lincoln, Litchfield, Maroa, Middletown, Morton, Mount
Pulaski, Naples, New Holland, Nokomis, Normal, Oreana, Pekin,
Peoria, Petersburg, Pleasant Plains, Quincy, Raymond, Rochester,
South Jacksonville, Sherman, Shipman, Springfield, Taylorville,
Tremont, Virden, Weldon and Witt.
The breakdown by area is as follows: Springfield area, 53; Jacksonville
area, 3; Litchfield area, 8; Bloomington area, 5; Peoria area, 9; Beardstown-Havana area, 3; Alton area, 6; Lincoln area, 7;
Decatur area, 8; and Quincy area, 2.
A second flight, which will take 35 veterans, has been scheduled
to depart from St. Louis on May 26, using free tickets
donated by Southwest Airlines.
Names of veterans continue to be added to the waiting list,
which currently numbers 358 veterans. The Land of Lincoln Honor
Flight board welcomes the chance to speak to organizations,
businesses, churches, conventions or other groups about their
mission, future flights, guardian duties, fundraising and donations.
For more information about the flights, how individuals and
groups can help the mission, obtain applications, become members and
learn more about Land of Lincoln Honor Flight, go to
www.landoflincolnhonorflight.org or contact Ray Wiedle:
home, 314-427-2317; cell, 217-622-1473; or e-mail,
arwiedle@sbcglobal.net.
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