It all started at Ridgecrest Village in Davenport when William Shore, a resident WWII Veteran asked if Honor Flight was a credible organization. So we called the national office in Springfield, Ohio. Founder Earl Morse said “We have just flown 400 veterans from around the country to Washington D.C. that weekend.” Senator Bob Dole also was involved. We had 40+ WWII Vets at Ridgecrest that wanted to go. Morse said “If they complete the application, they will go on the waiting list ... Devamını Oku
It all started at Ridgecrest Village in Davenport when William Shore, a resident WWII Veteran asked if Honor Flight was a credible organization. So we called the national office in Springfield, Ohio. Founder Earl Morse said “We have just flown 400 veterans from around the country to Washington D.C. that weekend.” Senator Bob Dole also was involved. We had 40+ WWII Vets at Ridgecrest that wanted to go. Morse said “If they complete the application, they will go on the waiting list (8,000 so far). If you want them to go sooner, start your own Honor Flight Hub.” Thus Honor Flight of the Quad Cities was founded!
We started flying America’s WWII Veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials dedicated to honoring the sacrifices of these heroes since November 1, 2008. Top priority continues to be given to veterans of WWII service, and any veterans with a terminal illness who wish to visit their memorial. We also fly Korean Veterans and of November 11, 2015 we have started accepting applications from Vietnam Veterans.
A comfortable chartered 737 aircraft from Sun Country leaves at 7 am and returns at 10 pm. The nonstop flight departs early in the morning from the Quad City International Airport and flies to Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C., returning later that evening.
Three modern motor coach busses skillfully transport veterans and their Guardians to the Udvar-Hazy Center Air & Space Museum (Smithsonian), WWII Memorial, Air Force Memorial, Iwo Jima, the Women’s Memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, Korean Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and Abraham Lincoln Monument. Each bus has a lift for bringing wheelchair dependent veterans on board, plus a convenient restroom.
The intention is to honor as many of our local and regional heroes who were selfless in their military duty, with a free trip to visit their memorial. Veterans from throughout a 75 mile radius are encouraged to apply for the trip. We do however accept applications from areas further away if there is not a hub close by. The program operates 100% on donations from organizations and individuals.
Volunteers of all kinds are needed to help coordinate the flight event, and special Guardians are trained to help escort the veterans the day of the flight. We currently have over 300 Guardians who are willing to pay $400 for the honor of escorting our veteran heroes.
We cannot and will not fly without having 100% of the cost of the flight paid for.
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