Honor flight set for Nov. 1
Oct. 19—Land of Lincoln Honor Flight announced the final 2022 flight will take off on Tuesday, Nov. 1 from Springfield Abraham Lincoln Capitol Airport to Washington D.C.
Ninety-four central Illinois veterans — one World War II veteran, five Korean era veterans and 88 Vietnam era veterans — are ready to experience a day of appreciation for their service on Land of Lincoln Honor Flight's Mission No. 64.
These veterans and their 83 guardians, who cover the cost of their own expenses, will arrive at the airport Tuesday morning at 4:15 a.m., having traveled from the 52 Illinois cities and communities of Argenta, Atlanta, Bath, Bement, Bloomington, Catlin, Champaign, Coffeen, Colchester, Cornland, Danville, Decatur, Delavan, Effingham, Findlay, Forrest, Franklin, Girard, Greenup, Gridley, Hillsboro, Jacksonville, Jerseyville, LaSalle, Lincoln, Mahomet, Marshall, Mason City, Mattoon, Meredosia, Morrisonville, Moweaqua, Normal, Oconee, Ogden, Oreana, Palmer, Pana, Pekin, Peru, Pleasant Plains, Sherman, Shirley, Sidney, Springfield, Sullivan, Troy, Virden, Watson, Waverly, Williamsville and Winnebago.
Joan Bortolon, LLHF President, stated, "Land of Lincoln Honor Flight has been making up for time lost during the 30-month COVID delay. With the 94 veterans on the November flight, we are on track to have served 472 veterans on our 2022 flights. In addition, our September flight took us over the 5,000 veterans-served mark. Achieving this milestone is a testament to our team of volunteers and the patience of our American hero veterans."
Passengers will travel to Washington D.C. on a chartered Sun Country 737 aircraft and by luxury motorcoaches on the ground upon arrival.
The day will include visits to the World War II, Korean and Vietnam War memorials, as well as Arlington National Cemetery Tomb of the Unknowns, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia, the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial and the U.S. Air Force Memorial. This day of honor is provided at absolutely no cost to veterans.
These heroes return to Springfield airport at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The general public, friends and family and LLHF alumni veterans are encouraged to pack the airport to welcome them home.
Bortolon stated, "Our veterans have told us that the welcome home in Springfield is one of the most rewarding parts of the experience. We are appreciative of the crowd at the airport who gives our veterans the welcome home they earned, deserved and never received."
Greeters are encouraged to arrive early and show appreciation for and support of these veterans. Parking assistance and a parking lot shuttle bus will be available for those attending this event.
Land of Lincoln Honor Flight still has a waiting list of more than 500 veterans waiting for a future flight. However, LLHF is still encouraging new applications.
Veterans are offered flights by date of application within each service era: World War II (enlisted by Dec. 31, 1946), then Korean War Era (Jan. 1, 1947 to Dec. 31, 1957), followed by the Vietnam War Era (Jan. 1, 1958 to May 7, 1975).
Any certified terminally ill veteran should contact LLHF directly. Veteran and Guardian Applications may be obtained at www.LandofLincolnHonorFlight.org by clicking on Applications tab.
LLHF is in the process of scheduling six flights in 2023.
Land of Lincoln Honor Flight is a 501©3 non-profit organization that receives no government funding. It is only able to honor veterans due to the generous donations, sponsorships, fund-raising events, merchandise sales and supporting efforts of the many local businesses, individuals and organizations within our service area. Land of Lincoln Honor Flight is operated by all volunteers; it has no paid staff, no office and no utilities costs. Its overall administrative cost is approximately 1% so virtually every dollar raised supports flight costs for our veterans.
