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 Each Vet will be accompanied by a volunteer Guardian escort -
often a son, daughter, grandchild or friend but some will be
escorted by a total stranger they have been assigned, all willing to
paying their own way to spend the long day with a hero. And this is
not a vacation day for the escorts because a Guardian is responsible
for the comfort, logistics, mobility and safety of their Veteran
from the time they step into the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in
Springfield around 4:30-4:45 AM until relieved of duty some time
around 10:00-10:30 PM that night, after the flight has returned from
DC and the Veterans have been welcomed home.
The 10 US Air Force, 49 Army, 4 Marine and 16 Navy Veterans come
from 53 Illinois cities and communities of Benld, Bethalto, Bethany,
Bloomington, Blue Mound, Buffalo, Bunker Hill, Burr Ridge,
Carlinville, Cerro Gordo, Champaign, Charleston, Collinsville,
Columbia, Cornland, Decatur, Downs, Forest City, Forrest, Godfrey,
Granite City, Havana, Hettick, Hillsboro, Hudson, Hume, Ivesdale,
Jacksonville, Jewett, Lakewood, Lincoln, Mahomet, Marshall, Mason
City, Mattoon, Moro, Mt Olive, Mt Zion,, Murrayville, Nashville,
Oakland, Oconee, Pekin, Petersburg, Plainview, Rochester,
Shelbyville, Sheldon, Sherman, Springfield, Troy, Virginia and Wood
River.
Once the 737 chartered jet lands at Ronald Reagan National Airport
in DC, and the group is aboard their three luxury tour buses
designated Red, White and Blue, their itinerary will include stops
at the national World War II, Korean and Vietnam War memorials, the
Air Force and Marine Corps memorials, the National Air & Space
Museum and Arlington National Cemetery, including the viewing of the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers and Changing of the Guard. During the
day they will also have an opportunity to visit or see the Lincoln
Memorial, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, the Pentagon, and
other landmarks of the Washington area.
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The Veterans will return back to Springfield around 9:30 PM, and
family, friends and the general public are invited and encouraged to
show their appreciation to these Veterans for their sacrifices and
service to our country by welcoming them home. They should feel free
to dress in red, white & blue colors, bring balloons or posters, and
show your patriotic spirit with hand shakes and hugs for these
heroes at their “Welcome Home” at the airport. Come early, enjoy
free parking and “pack the port” for this first flight of the year.
Veteran applications continue to be accepted, with priority 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. Four more flights are
planned for this year on May 23rd, June 20th, September 12th and
October 17th.
Veteran or Guardian Applications may be obtained at
www.LandofLincolnHonorFlight.org, by clicking on Applications, then
click & print the application of choice. LLHF is a 501(c)3
non-profit organization that receives no government funding or
grants. It is only able to honor the Veterans with 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, check the calendar 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 throughout the year.
[John Dust] |
