Honor Flight Long Island, Southampton, New York, will send 46 veterans from Long Island to Washington, D.C., on May 2 as part of its ongoing program to provide free visits to military memorials. The group’s spring flight will include 41 Vietnam War veterans, along with five veterans from World War II and the Korean War. The one-day trip is designed to give participants the opportunity to visit memorials dedicated to their service, meet fellow veterans, and reflect on their experiences. “Our Spring Flight includes 41 Vietnam War veterans who will receive long-overdue recognition and thanks for their service. They’ll be accompanied on this flight by 5 elder comrades, veterans of WWII and the Korean War. What this flight really represents is a ‘Big Hug’ to ALL our veterans from Honor Flight, their families and supporters, who make such flights possible,” said Bill Jones, president of Honor Flight Long Island.
The veterans and their guardians are scheduled to depart from Long Island MacArthur Airport on a Southwest Airlines flight at 9:20 a.m. During their time in Washington, participants are expected to visit the World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam Veterans memorials, as well as Arlington National Cemetery. Additional stops may include the Air Force and Navy memorials. The group is scheduled to return to Long Island later that evening at 11:20 p.m. Organizers say members of the public are invited to gather at the airport to welcome the veterans home. Supporters are encouraged to arrive around 10:20 p.m., ahead of the return flight. Honor Flight Long Island, a volunteer-run organization, provides these trips at no cost to veterans, with funding supported through donations. Each veteran is accompanied by a volunteer guardian who assists during the trip.
The organization will also host a Veterans Reunion event on August 1 at the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, New York. The event will include a “Ceremony of Honors,” during which participating veterans will receive personalized tribute journals documenting their trip. The program will also feature remarks from organizers and a performance by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla Band. Admission to the reunion will be free for visitors arriving between 10:30 a.m. and noon, with standard museum admission rates applying afterward. Honor Flight Long Island continues to accept applications from veterans interested in participating in future trips. For more information and to support Honor Flight Long Island, click on this link: www.honorflightlongisland.org.
