A portion of the program will include the handing out of
certificates of appreciation to the Mount Pulaski veterans who
served in World War II. In addition, a guest speaker is scheduled
to talk about the Honor Flight program.
The Honor Flight program was started with a single veteran in
2004. Earl Morse, a physician assistant and retired Air Force
captain, wanted to honor the veterans he had the privilege of
treating over a period of more than 27 years. The World War II
Memorial in Washington, D.C., was something many veterans were
interested in seeing but did not have the means to visit on their
own.
Morse began by flying one veteran to D.C. to view the memorial.
He then began seeking the help of other pilots who were willing to
do this service for the vets, free of charge. Soon he had 11 pilots
willing to give this gift.
The program continued to grow from there, and today there are
numerous Honor Flight chapters all across the county. Each year
veterans of World War II are given the opportunity to make the trip,
free of charge.
In the fall of 2011, eight Logan County veterans had the
opportunity to make the trip. They were Tom Evans of Atlanta; Ernest
E. Byrne, Dwain Marten and Hubert D. Stoll, all of Chestnut; and
Robert Deane Bishop, Harold E. Donnan, Leonard R. Lehner and Howard
W. Zook, all of Lincoln.
[LDN and text from file received
from Phil Bertoni] |