October 4, 2021 | For Veterans
The Honor Flight Network is an organization that offers our Veterans from World War II, the Vietnam War and the Korean War a chance to fly to Washington D.C. for a day to visit their War Memorials and specific sites built and dedicated to them. This, all-expenses-paid, one-day journey to D.C. includes a chartered airliner, bus transportation, police escort, meals, t-shirts and hats, and other amenities required to travel as comfortably as possible. Disabled veterans are also welcomed, and with advanced arrangements, oxygen can be made available.
The Honor Flight Network and all its branches are an all-volunteer organization with no paid employees who rely on Grants and generous donations from individuals, organizations, and corporations to fund their Veteran mission. They currently have 128 Honor Flight organizations nationwide, with several in Florida alone.
Yesterday, October 2nd2021, history was made when the first, First Coast Honor Flight out of Jacksonville took off carrying 25 Veterans and 25 Guardians. Accompanying them was also 6 First Coast Honor Flight staff members, including a medical doctor and a videographer.
The Honor Flight trip’s priorities are always to ensure the safety and dignity of each of its Veterans. This means that every Veteran is paired with a Guardian escort and has a wheelchair available. Like many organizations the First Coast Honor Flight branch has experienced many setbacks since the beginning of Covid-19, having to postpone their inaugural flight by months. “Time is short for these senior veterans” says the First Coast President Selena Hernandez-Haines, “we need to honor them, safely while we still can.” Three veterans on the First Coast Honor Flight waitlist have died since the beginning of all the delays.
This is truly a unique opportunity to show our gratitude to these Heroes who made it possible for us to enjoy the freedoms we have today. “For many of our Veterans often they have said that being on an Honor Flight was the first time they ever felt recognized and appreciated” said President Hernandez-Haines.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, consider finding a Honor Flight branch near you at https://www.honorflight.org/regional-honor-flight-hubs.html.
You can apply to become a much-needed Guardian, fill out a volunteer application, or apply as a Veteran and get waitlisted for an Honor Flight!
Sources: https://firstcoasthonorflight.org/ https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/national/military-news/first-honor-flight-leaves-jacksonville-honor-vietnam-veterans/77-4616d37c-9016-4a22-b0ff-f89c1e0ff5d2 https://www.dailycommercial.com/news/20191027/honor-flight-to-take-41-area-veterans-to-washington