Rotarian Ron Newman spoke about a Honor Flight at the Veterans Day Iowa Great Lakes Rotary meeting last Wednesday.
 
The mission of Honor Flight is to fly America's veterans to Washington D.C. to visit those memorials dedicated to honor their sacrifices. Top priority is given to America's most senior veterans - survivors of WWII - and any veteran with a terminal illness who wish to visit their memorial. Rotarian Ron Newman is working to establish the lakes area s a hub for such flights and is hoping to have the first flight from here next spring. A typical Honor Flight is a day trip, but sicne one from here would require some travel to an airport first, he is looking at doing a 2-day trip from here. The trip would include the flight to DC, a visit to the memorials and Arlington National Cemetery, and possibly a visit to the capitol or White House. For veterans who have never been to Washingotn D.C. before, all expenses are covered. Guardians are needed for every two veterans and pay their own way. Approximately 1,000 WWII veterans die each day. The average life expectancy for the American male is 74.7 years - while the youngest WWII Veteran is over 79 years old. The goal of this program is to get as many Veterans to the memorials to see it as possible. Ron is in the process of establishing this area as a hub and is in need of board members. If you are interested, please contact Ron Newman.