NEWS
Freedom Honor Flight's first mission is successful on all counts
Freedom Honor Flight, the first Wisconsin hub of the national Honor Flight Network, conducted its first flight on October 8, 2008. With 113 veterans on board the chartered 757 aircraft, it was the largest Honor Flight in the national program’s history.
The day began early, with some veterans arriving at the Colgan Air Service hangar, across from the La Crosse Municipal Airport, before 5 a.m. National Guard and UW-La Crosse ROTC members provided valet parking and golf cart shuttles for veterans and the family members who came to see them off. The veterans checked in and were united with their guardians. These specially trained volunteers, who each paid their own way for the honor of accompanying the veterans, were with the veterans for the entire day.
The morning send off ceremony included an ecumenical prayer, a Marine Corps Color Guard, a children's concert by the Northwoods Elementary School choir, a continental breakfast and decorations from multiple schools in La Crosse. The French Island Legion hosted a breakfast for family and volunteers after the jet departed.
The Honor Flight arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport to a water cannon salute. Veterans moved directly to chartered buses that took them to the WWII memorial. The veterans toured that memorial, plus the Korean and Vietnam War memorials and the Iwo Jima memorial. Veterans from nine states were represented in Washington D.C., bringing close to 1,000 veterans to the memorials in one day. Freedom Honor Flight was the largest group that day and the largest in the program’s history.
When the veterans returned to La Crosse late that evening, they were greeted by a large flag-waving crowd and the performing UW-La Crosse Screaming Eagles Marching Band. Veterans from the trip spoke of the day as being "absolutely wonderful" and "the trip of a lifetime."
A second flight is planned for June 2009 and donations are needed to ensure as many veterans as possible are able to go. The group receives no government funding and depends on donations, which are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Veterans who wish to apply may contact their local veterans association, call 608-784-1015 or complete the application form on this website. People wishing to volunteer or apply to be a trained guardian to accompany the veterans on the flight can find more information on this website or call 608-784-1015. And people who wish to donate may do so directly on this page.
Freedom Honor Flight exists to fly veterans, for free, to Washington D.C. to see "their" memorials. Currently, priority is given to World War II veterans, because of their advanced age, and because so many of them have never had a chance to see the WWII Memorial, which was opened in April of 2004. Veterans are selected on a first come, first served basis with priority given to WWII veterans and any veteran with a terminal illness.
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URGENT UPDATE
We have been overwhelmed with telephone calls inquiring about Freedom Honor Flight. We are unable to keep up with all the calls about very basic information, so we are posting it here. Please read carefully. If you have a veteran family member who has applied, make them aware of this information. It will help us do our job more efficiently, and, we hope, keep everyone happy with the process.
Freedom Honor Flight has now selected the veterans and Guardians for our first flight on October 8. Instruction packets are being mailed to these flyers Thursday, September 9 and Friday, September 10. They should answer most questions. We have pre-flight briefings scheduled for Guardians, and a mass briefing scheduled for all veterans and Guardians who will be on the first flight. The dates and times are in the packets.
We are also mailing letters to those who were not selected for the first flight. Our next flight is tentatively scheduled for June. We are busy raising the funds needed to make that flight happen. We have had over 300 applications so far, with more arriving every day. Our policy is to mail a confirmation as soon as we receive an application. When passengers are selected, we make a phone call, followed by the mailing of an additional packet of information. While we were slow for a time, we should be caught up with all notifications by week of September 15th.
We thank the many people who have contributed time or money so far – and we hope to get even more support for many successful missions!
NOTE: Milwaukee now has its own Honor Flight organization – called Stars and Stripes Honor Flight. Their web page is here:
http://www.co.ozaukee.wi.us/departments/veterans/HonorsFlightProgram/Index.htm
Madison is also forming an Honor Flight organization, and information about them will be posted in the near future.
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Interest so high, support is needed for additional flights—Kwik Trip makes donating even easier
La Crosse, Wis., September 8, 2008
Kwik Trip stores within 100 miles of La Crosse, are now collection sites for Freedom Honor Flight donations. The donations collected will help fund the organization’s flights that take veterans to visit their memorials in Washington D.C.
On October 8, the first Honor Flight from the state of Wisconsin, will transport 110 veterans, 55 guardians, two physicians from Franciscan Skemp and Gundersen Lutheran medical centers and four paramedics from Tri-State Ambulance. The veterans and guardians for the first flight have been selected and have been notified.
Freedom Honor Flight has received over 300 applications from veterans and has begun planning a second flight, scheduled for June. Volunteer guardians, who pay their own way on the flights, are still needed for the second flight. Applications are available at the groups’ website, www.freedomhonorflight.org.
Donations from the public, made at Kwik Trip stores or online at www.freedomhonorflight.org will help ensure that Freedom Honor Flight is able to meet the needs of all veterans who apply.
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Freedom Honor Flight Taking Off With Community
La Crosse, Wis., August 4, 2008
Members of the La Crosse community are rallying to support the cause of Freedom Honor Flight, Inc., an organization dedicated to honoring veterans of World War II.
In mid July, Freedom Honor Flight, Inc. announced a program to send veterans to Washington D.C. to visit their memorials. The first flight is scheduled to leave from La Crosse on Wednesday, October 8, 2008.
Only three weeks after the announcement, the group has raised over $50,000. Many area businesses and individuals have chosen to sponsor a veteran by donating $500, the cost of sending one veteran to Washington D.C. Some donors have sponsored groups or “platoons” of veterans. Contributions so far have allowed the group to sign the contract for the flight and move forward with other arrangements.
A medical team dedicated to ensuring the safety of the veterans has been assembled. The team will consist of two physicians from Franciscan Skemp and Gundersen Lutheran medical centers and four paramedics from Tri-State Ambulance. The expense to send the medical team is being covered by the medical centers and Tri-State Ambulance.
A large number of applications have been received from veterans as well as guardians who will pay their own way to accompany two veterans each on the flight. Guardians are required to attend training sessions to prepare them for the trip. Applications for both veterans and guardians are currently being accepted. The selection of veterans is made on a first come, first-served basis with priority given to WWII veterans and any veteran with a terminal illness. Due to the number of veteran applications, Freedom Honor Flight has begun planning for its second flight.
Although Freedom Honor Flight has received many generous donations, they still need further donations to make the first flight on October 8 a success. To make donating easier, contributions of any size can now be made online at www.freedomhonorflight.org.
Additional information can be found on the group’s website or by calling 608-784-1015.
About Freedom Honor Flight, Inc.
Freedom Honor Flight is the first Wisconsin affiliate of the national network of Honor Flight organizations. The group’s mission is to organize and fly groups of veterans—at no cost to the veterans—to Washington D.C. to visit the war memorials that stand in their honor. Freedom Honor Flight serves veterans within a 120-mile radius of La Crosse, covering Western Wisconsin, Southeastern Minnesota and Northern Iowa. The group receives no government funding and depends on donations, which are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
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Freedom Honor Flight Announces Inaugural Mission
July 15 – La Crosse, WI
Officials of Freedom Honor Flight, Inc. today announced an ambitious program of honoring and thanking the region's oldest veterans – the veterans of World War II.
Freedom Honor Flight is a La Crosse-based organization whose goal is to organize groups of veterans to travel to see their memorial – the WWII Memorial – in Washington D.C. The Veterans travel at no cost to themselves. Chuck Hanson, Freedom Honor Flight President, announced the local charity has scheduled its inaugural mission to leave La Crosse on Wednesday, October 8, 2008.
"This is an unusual situation," Hanson said. "These veterans have not been able to see their memorial, because it took nearly 60 years after the end of the war to build it. Our goal is to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for these men and women to see the edifice memorializing their service to our country. We will work with all veterans within 120 miles of La Crosse in providing this travel."
The Commander of the Wisconsin Department of the American Legion joined local officials of the group, to present a check as well as praise their efforts to pay tribute to the veterans. David Kurtz also made an appearance at a special La Crosse Loggers baseball game against a travelling military all-star team to support the Freedom Honor Flight project.
Freedom Honor Flight provides volunteers, called Guardians, who pay their way on the airplane flight. These guardians will accompany the veterans, helping them enjoy the one day trip. Hanson explained that Guardians are being recruited as the group organizes its first mission. "The trip will be a one day activity, leaving around 7:30 am, and returning about 9:30pm", he said. "We will have a very special day for our travelers, with all veterans' food, beverages, and travel provided, as well as a few surprises."
Persons wishing to support the effort through financial donations can mail checks to Freedom Honor Flight, P.O. Box 505, La Crosse, WI 54602-0505. Or they can visit the organization's web site, www.freedomhonorflight.org, and click on the "Donate" button, which will be active within a very few days. Further fund-raising efforts are planned, officials said, because the organization plans more flights in the future. Further details are available on the groups website.
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