Land of Lincoln Honor Flight #62 is preparing to take off at the end of this month.
96 veterans and their 82 caretakers representing 54 Central Illinois communities will take off on Tuesday, August 30th from Springfield’s Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport for Washington D.C at 4:15AM.
The day includes visits to the World War II, Korean and Vietnam War memorials, as well as Arlington National Cemetery Tomb of the Unknowns, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Air & Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia, the US Marine Corps Memorial, and the US Air Force Memorial.
The day of honor comes at no cost to the veterans or their caregivers and is provided for through private donations.
The general public, friends, and family are encouraged to pack the airport upon their return at 9:30PM to provide the veterans a welcome home. Land of Lincoln Honor Flight President Joan Bortolon says that the welcome home crowd is one of the most rewarding parts of the experience for the veterans as many did not receive one when they were discharged and returned from their service.
Land of Lincoln Honor Flight still has a waiting list of over 500 veterans waiting for a future flight. However, LLHF is still encouraging new applications. Veterans will be offered flights by date of application within each service era: World War II (enlisted by 12/31/1946), then Korean War Era (01/01/1947 to 12/31/1957), followed by the Vietnam War Era (01/01/1958 to 05/07/1975). Any certified terminally ill Veteran should contact LLHF directly. Veteran and Guardian Applications may be obtained at www.LandofLincolnHonorFlight.org by clicking on Applications tab.
Since 2009, Land of Lincoln Honor Flight has been privileged to serve over 4,800 veterans. Additional 2022 flights are planned for September 27th and November 1st.