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.