Villages Honor Flight’s fifth flight for 2018 will depart Wednesday, Oct. 31, with 40 area veterans heading to Washington, D.C.
While in Washington, the veterans will visit the National World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, as well as take a bus tour through the city.
Most of the veterans served during the Korean War, although three served during World War II, four in the late 1940s and 1950s, five during the Berlin Crisis, two during the Cuban Missile Crisis and five in Vietnam.
Twenty served in the Army, 10 in the Navy, seven in the Air Force, two in the Marine Corps and one in the Coast Guard. They live in Auburndale, Brooksville, Eustis, Lady Lake, Leesburg, Ocala, Okahumpka, Summerfield, Tavares, The Villages and Wildwood.
Villages Honor Flight serves veterans from the Central Florida counties of Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion and Sumter. Each veteran has a volunteer guardian to assist him/her. The trip is free for veterans, while guardians and staff pay their own way. So far, the organization has flown more than 1,000 veterans to Washington, D.C. since the first trip in May 2012.
The flight begins with an early morning send-off from American Legion Post 347 off Rolling Acres Road. The day-long trip will conclude with a “Welcome Home” celebration at the American Legion post at 1:30 a.m. Thursday, depending on the arrival time of the plane at Orlando International Airport.
The public is invited to participate in the “Welcome Home” celebration and is encouraged to bring a lawn chair and an American flag. Entertainment featuring Ralph DiNome and his Flashback band begins at midnight.
For more information, veteran and volunteer applications, visit villageshonorflight.org.
