Military

Honor Flight to fly again October 27th

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[October 23, 2015]  Land of Lincoln Honor Flight (LLHF), serving central and southern Illinois, will take their sixth and final flight for 2015 on Tuesday, October 27th. On this Flight #36 on a chartered 737 jetliner will be 13 World War II, 51 Korean and 14 Vietnam War eras, consisting of 9 who served in the Air Force, 49 in the Army, 9 in the Marines and 11 in the Navy.

On this no-cost, day long trip to Washington, DC, to visit and reflect at their national memorials, all the Veterans will be accompanied by a volunteer escort. These Guardians pay their own way and are responsible for the comfort, logistics, mobility and safety of their doyen for the day.

These 78 heroes come from 47 Illinois cities and communities, consisting of Alsey, Alton, Auburn, Beecher City, Benld, Bethalto, Bloomington, Breese, Buckley, Bushnell, Carmi, Champaign, Charleston, Clinton, Concord, Congerville, Danville, Decatur, Dorsey, Edinburg, Effingham, Findlay, Flora, Gifford, Godfrey, Hillsboro, Jacksonville, Jewett, Lawrenceville, Lerna, Lincoln, Litchfield, Meredosia, Morrisonville, Moweaqua, New Douglas, Onarga, Paris, Paxton, Peoria, Shelbyville, Sherman, South Jacksonville, Springfield, Taylorville, Wheeler and Winchester

Departing Springfield shortly after 6 AM, the Veterans and Guardians will land at Ronald Reagan National Airport in DC, then be transported on three coach buses designated Red, White and Blue for the day. Their itinerary includes the World War II, Korean and Vietnam War National Memorials, the Air Force & Marine (Iwo Jima) Memorials, the National Air & Space Museum and Arlington National Cemetery, where they will view the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers and Changing of the Guard. During the day they will also have the opportunity to visit the Lincoln Memorial, as well as see the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, the White House, the Pentagon and much more from the bus prior to departing back to Springfield.

Friends, family and the general public are encouraged to come to the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport that evening to show your appreciation for the service and sacrifices these Veterans gave to the country. They are expected to return around 9:30 PM, although it is suggested to be to the airport at least 30-45 minutes earlier. Show your patriotic spirit with red-white-blue clothing, balloons, posters, small flags, handshakes, hugs, etc.

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Although Land of Lincoln Honor Flight will have completed this year’s flying season with the October 27th flight, Veteran applications continue to be accepted and flights will begin again next spring. Priority is given in the following order: World War II (person enlisted by 12/31/1946), then Korean War Era (01/01/1947 to 12/31/1957), followed by the Vietnam War Era (01/01/1958 to 05/07/1975). Any certified terminally ill Veteran should contact LLHF directly.

An application may be obtained at www.LandofLincolnHonorFlight.org or contact volunteer John Dust, phone 309-339-0227 or email HonorFlightGuy@aol.com. LLHF is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that receives no government funding or grants. It is only able to honor the Veterans on these flights to DC due to the generous donations, sponsorships, fundraising events, merchandise sales and supporting efforts of the many local businesses, individuals and organizations within their service area. Please visit the web site to make a donation, consider holding a fundraiser, book a board member speaker or to obtain more information on the Honor Flight mission. Also consider following LLHF on their Facebook page to stay current on upcoming events and flights for next year.

[Text from file received from ]

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