Area Veterans Take Flight
At the Southport Rotary Club meeting today, we were introduced to Ruth Smith. She made a presentation explaining Honor Flight hubs across the USA but more specifically the Cape Fear Area hub.
As a Veteran, I was thrilled to learn about this organization. There are many Veterans that have never been to Washington, DC to see the memorials and monuments built in their honor. It doesn’t matter if the Veteran is from another area of the country, there are other hubs and flights available. Honor Flight has over 100 hubs that all have the same goal to honor our Veterans for their service and sacrifice.
Honor Flight provides veterans from WWII, Korea, and Vietnam eras and terminal Veterans from any era, an amazing opportunity. The Veterans fly free-of-charge from Wilmington, NC to Washington, DC. This organization makes all of the arrangements. They currently have a flight scheduled for April 24, 2021. Each Veteran is assigned a “Guardian or Veteran’s Escort” to stay with them throughout the trip. This trip is a huge undertaking with 75 Veterans, 75 Guardians, a medical team, and volunteer staff. Charter buses, wheelchairs, oxygen, food & drinks are all included in this event. They also provide the Veterans and Guardians shirts and backpacks filled with items for the day of touring.
The cost of this trip runs between $100,000 and $150,000. Funding comes from donations from local organizations, businesses, and individuals wanting to honor our Veterans.
This is a volunteer-run organization. Volunteers are needed for many different roles. There’s a full list provided on the volunteer application so you can find your specialty.
Honor Flight Cape Fear Area is accepting applications for Veterans, guardians, and volunteers. They are also accepting donations and sponsorships. If you want to help, please visit the organization’s website. You can also send a message to info@honorflightcfa.org. for more information.
Please help spread the word about this organization and what they do for our Veterans.
I’ll end this by saying THANK YOU to our Veterans!
