Are you a veteran who served during the WWII, Korea or Vietnam conflict? Do you know a veteran from those eras? Then check out the Honor Flight Network (honorflight.org), a nationwide organization based in Virginia. The group sponsors “A Trip of a Lifetime” to Washington, D.C.
The Honor Flight (HF) website states: “Our mission is one of gratitude, for their service, sacrifice and selflessness. Join us as we proudly celebrate America’s veterans with a day of honor in our nation’s capital.”
With hundreds of “hubs” across the nation, there is most likely one nearby. Each hub needs funding as well as hands-on-volunteers to be able to sponsor successful trips. The length of the trips depends on the hub’s distance to D.C. Costs include, but are not limited to, airfare, ground transportation, hotels (if the trip is longer than one day), food, snacks, drinks, T-shirts, backpacks, name tags, mementos, etc.
There is no cost to the veteran to be included. Guardians are needed for each traveling veteran. As a buddy for the day, guardians stay within an arm’s reach of their service person the entire trip. Wheelchairs are provided.
Guardians must make a (tax-free) contribution to the organization to help with expenses. This amount varies by hub.
Guardians can be a friend or family member (other than a spouse). Married couples can fly together only if both are qualified veterans. There are volunteer guardians available for those who request one.
The HF events/schedule also vary by hub. In Jacksonville, the First Coast Honor Flight (FCHF) starts with Orientation Day, about two weeks out. Prequalified veterans and their guardians learn what’s ahead. Among the activities: sign-off from the medical team, an interview with the hub’s video photographer, learning do’s and don’ts for the flight day, etc.
Start time for Flight Day will depend on the hub’s individual needs. For the FCHF this usually means about 3 a.m. arrival time for the veterans, guardians and support staff. After greetings and last-minute instructions, participants board the bus for the motorcade-led ride to the airport. As always, there are the TSA procedures, then wait at the gate for plane boarding and departure.
Arriving in D.C., the group is off to a grand day. Stops may include, if time warrants, National Mall (WWII, Korea, Vietnam memorials), a front row seat for the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown and others. Participants don’t go hungry during HF activities as all meals plus snacks and drinks are provided.
Working in reverse of the morning activities, the return home can be early evening or late. Sleeping on the plane is always an option and many honorees are still pumped up at the end of the day, no matter what the hour. They all arrive with big grins on their faces.
Three weeks later, Reunion Day: FCHF’s participants recall the fun and excitement and get a DVD video to remember the day.
The First Coast consists roughly of the counties near Jacksonville: Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau and St. Johns. One doesn’t have to live in the above counties to request flying with FCHF. Applications for veterans, guardians and volunteers can be found at firstcoasthonorflight.org.
To qualify, the veteran did not have to be “in country” during the era.
Know someone that lives outside Jacksonville? They can check at honorflight.org to determine if there is a hub near them.
I first got involved in May 2022 when I was a guardian for a Vietnam vet. The experience was so rewarding, I have volunteered since. I do this in memory of my grandfather, Andrew B Westbrook, WWI, and my dad, William H. Westbrook, WWII.
