Next Land of Lincoln Honor Flight scheduled for June 16

[June 12, 2015]  A few days after National Flag Day, on Tuesday, June 16th, eighty-six senior Veterans who helped to protect the freedom that our nation’s flag represents will fly from Springfield, IL, to Washington, DC. They will be on their Land of Lincoln Honor Flight (LLHF) trip to visit and reflect at their Memorials in the country’s capital.

Once the charter 737 plane lands at Ronald Reagan National Airport in DC, the 9 US Air Force, 51 Army, 1 Coast Guard, 3 Marines, 1 Merchant Marine and 21 Navy Veterans will board their three tour buses, designated Red, White and Blue.

Upon leaving the airport, the 14 World War II, 71 Korean War and 1 Vietnam War era servicemen & women will cross the Potomac River to their first stop at the National World War II Memorial. From there they will travel to the Korean and Vietnam War Memorials as well as the Air Force and Marine Corps Memorials plus the National Air & Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia. The day long tour will conclude at Arlington National Cemetery, with the viewing of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers and Changing of the Guard. During the day they will also visit the Lincoln Memorial and be able to view the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial and the Pentagon from the bus before departing back to Springfield.

The plane will return to Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport that same evening, arriving around 9:30 PM. Family, friends and the general public are encouraged to come to the airport to welcome these heroes who come from 51 Illinois communities, consisting of Alton, Athens, Atlanta, Belleville, Bloomington, Bluffs, Carlinville, Chapin, Chatham, Chicago, Danforth, Dawson, Decatur, Easton, Effingham, Gillespie, Greenup, Greenview, Havana, Hidalgo, Highland, Jacksonville, Lincoln, Luka, Mahomet, Marion, Maroa, Metamora, Milford, New Douglas, Newton, Normal, Oreana, Pana, Paxton, Rankin, Robinson, Rochester, Shelbyville, Shipman, Shobonier, Shumway, Springfield, Taylorville, Teutopolis, Virden, Waggoner, Washington, Watseka, White Hall and Windsor.

It is suggested to arrive at the airport by 8:30 or so and dressing in red, white & blue to show your patriotic spirit is encouraged. Balloons, posters and signs are also allowed.

Land of Lincoln Honor Flight offers flights to Veterans of World War II, Korean and Vietnam War eras. A sign-up application can be obtained at the official web site of LandofLincoln HonorFlight.org  or contact John Dust at 309-339-0227 or [e-mail]  LLHF is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, receiving no federal, state or county funding. It is only able to honor the Veterans on these flights to DC due to the generous donations, sponsorships, fundraising events, merchandise sales and efforts of the many individuals, businesses and organizations within their service area. Please visit the web site to make a donation or for more information on the Honor Flight mission.

[Text from file received from ]