Veterans take to the skies with 54th Eastern Iowa Honor Flight
Tuesday marked the 54th mission for the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight, .
Ninety veterans made the trip to and from Washington D.C. on Tuesday to see monuments made in their honor. Those include the Vietnam War, Korean War and World War II Memorials.
“If it wasn’t for them, our freedoms, our safety would not be what it is today,” Eastern Iowa Honor Flight President Lynette Voss said.
The vast majority of veterans traveling Tuesday served in Vietnam, who didn’t get a warm welcome upon returning to the U.S. Organizers hope today’s flight will give them what they deserve.
“It’s my way of saying thank you for your service. It also gives the veterans an opportunity to receive that thank you that they did not receive,” Voss said.
The trip is entirely free for Veterans. Because of that, there is a waiting list of roughly 700 waiting list, WWII and Korean War veterans tend to get priority.
“The mission is 100% funded by donations provided by businesses, corporations, private individuals, memorials,” Voss said. “Whether it be $20.00 or $5,000 in anything in between, every bit of it helps.”
Each Honor Flight has a welcoming party in the evening.
”We just really like to encourage everyone to join us for the welcome home,” Voss said. “It’s a great opportunity for you to give those veterans the appropriate welcome home they deserve and tell them thank you.”
This year, the Honor Flight asks visitors to take advantage of the airport’s 400 new parking spots toward the eastern part of the parking lot. The flight is expected to return around 9:15 p.m. while the celebration itself starts at 7:30 p.m.