Never
Forgotten Honor Flight is a Wausau - based organization
formed in November of 2009. Our goal is simple: to fly every
World War II veteran (in our region) who is able and willing
out to Washington to visit "their" memorial before all our
veterans of that war pass away. We are an affiliate of the
national group Honor Flight Network, which began this activity in 2005,
and began flying with commercial charter aircraft in 2006
from Dayton, Ohio.
There are now about 115 "hubs", or
cities from which flights originate, around
the country. National Honor Flight Network
provides us with technical and travel
support, and helps arrange activities
in Washington D.C.
• Veterans Flown since inception: 81,348
• Guardians Flown since inception: 39,184
• Combined Total since inception: 120,532
Veterans
must fill out an application form, which can be found and
printed or downloaded here. All veterans on a flight are accompanied by
trained volunteer Guardians, who assist veterans for the
day. Volunteers can apply to be a Guardian by downloading or
printing the form available here.
We are
supported by various private and commercial donors. We are
supported by many veterans organizations in the region. We
have no paid staff. Our volunteers organize the veterans for
travel, arrange the travel both to and from Washington, and
arrange all transportation, activities and meals in
Washington. The trip is typically all in one day, spending
several hours at the World War Two Memorial, and visiting
other Washington landmarks such as the Korean War Memorial,
Vietnam Wall, Lincoln Memorial or the Marine Corps War
Memorial.
At the
current time, for obvious reasons, priority is given to
World War Two veterans. If a veteran is certified terminally
ill by a doctor but able to travel, he or she moves up the
priority list no matter what their era of service. We hope
to launch at least one flight per year and perhaps more,
providing we get enough support. Anyone interested in
donating can do so here. |