Honor Flight seeks World War II veterans, support

From TBO.com: Honor Flight seeks World War II veterans, support

World War II veterans from across the country are enjoying tours of the Washington, D.C. memorials for free.

Saluting the sacrifices of service members, Honor Flight of West Central Florida is bringing the tradition to local veterans after forming earlier this year. The non-profit organization is part of the Honor Flight Network, which was established in 2005 and has flown nearly 70,000 veterans to the World War II Memorial.

"Our sole mission in life is to transport veterans to their memorial so they can see what America has built for them for their service," said Jim Haake, Honor Flight of West Central Florida's vice president of operations, development and fundraising. "The veterans love going up there, but not just for themselves; they go up there to make sure that the 408,000 who died will never be forgotten."

Of the 1.2 million living America World War II veterans, 32,000 are in the Florida west central district, which includes Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Polk, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

The number of local veterans signing up for the flights is growing. Four hundred are already on the waiting list.

But with each trip slotted for only 70 openings, the need for additional flights and the donations required to finance them is also growing. So far the organization has held two flights, one in May and one in June. The next is scheduled for Sept. 20.

In addition to providing free transport to the memorials, Honor Flight covers breakfast, lunch and dinner. Commemorative caps, shirts and tote bags are also provided.

The day begins with an early flight. Along with each veteran is a volunteer known as a guardian, who pays their own way and shepherd the veteran through the entire experience.

Stops are made in Washington, D.C. at Arlington National Cemetery, Iwo Jima Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and finally – where most of the time is spent – the World War II Memorial. The day concludes back in Tampa that night with a welcome home ceremony at the airport.

Haake hopes to have one flight a month, from April to October. That's a $350,000 investment, however. He is seeking donations of any amount.

"I need corporate sponsorship," he said. "It just takes a lot of money to do this."

One key need are wheelchairs, especially since the trip can be a bit taxing for participants.

"I need 70 wheelchairs to fly," Haake said. "Right now I have about 14 that I physically own. I would love to get to 70."

The end result of these flights makes such donations a rewarding experience, according to Haake.

"My day job feeds me, but this completes me," he said. "The reaction is … it will bring you to tears."

Veterans are also captivated by the Honor Flight Network's mission.

"I think it is great," said Robert Titus, a World War II veteran who piloted a DC-4 in the Air Transportation Command. "I want to go up there because my brother was a Marine and I want to see his name on there as well as mine."

Nestled between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial opened April 29, 2004. It honors the 16 million who served in the U.S. armed forces, those that died and all who supported the war effort from home.

Honor Flight currently focuses on World War II, but has plans to expand in the coming years to fly more Korean and Vietnam veterans.

"The stories that the guardian gets to hear, and the veteran gets to hear, that will last a lifetime," Haake said. "It's an emotional day."

For veteran and guardian applications, visit honorflightwcf.org.

For information, call (727) 498-6079.