32nd Freedom Honor Flight takes off Saturday, May 3

Organizers are preparing for Freedom Honor Flight’s 32nd trip to honor veterans by flying them to Washington D.C., to see the memorials built in their honor. Since the organization was founded in 2008, Freedom Honor Flight has flown more than 2,800 veterans to our nation’s capital. The single-day itinerary includes a welcome in Washington, D.C., and visits typically include the WWII Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and other sites via luxury motorcoaches.

Eager flyers include one World War II veteran, two Korean War Era veterans and 99 veterans from the Vietnam War Era. They fly for free, joined by volunteer guardians who pay their own way to assist the veterans on this “trip of a lifetime.”

The public is welcome at the morning sendoff and evening welcome-home ceremonies. All ground activities are held at Colgan Air, Hangar 4, La Crosse Airport. Ample parking and shuttle service available.

For the morning sendoff, hangar doors open at 5:30 a.m. A brief ceremony at approximately 6:15 a.m. precedes the American Airlines charter flight, set to depart at 6:50 a.m. The popular welcome-home ceremony features the Sparta High School marching band. Hangar doors open at 7:30 p.m. The flight is expected to return between 9 and 10 p.m.

Freedom Honor Flight relies solely on the public’s generosity and urgently needs help to continue operating these flights. “There are still more than 450 veterans on a waiting list, just to fly out of our hub in La Crosse. If we want to get them all to D.C., we’ll need the community’s continued support. Please consider making a donation to provide a memorable and meaningful trip for more veterans, just like the 102 flying on May 3,” said Freedom Honor Flight Board President Kevin Kuchar.