Honor Flight seeks to double its impact, double its flights

High Plains Honor Flight, a volunteer-led regional nonprofit, has set a goal to double the number of veterans it serves by expanding from one flight to Washington, D.C., each year to two flights.

With a focus on aging Vietnam era veterans, the High Plains Honor Flight board voted to undertake an effort to charter two flights each year. Veterans who participate in the flights receive an all-expense-paid trip to visit the memorials built in their honor.

“The flight was a time for memorializing my brothers and sisters and to honor them for their ultimate sacrifice,” Felipe Guardado, a Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient, said in a written statement. He was part of the April 2023 honor flight. “The trip gave me closure,” he said.

The original mission of Honor Flight was to get as many World War II veterans as possible to visit the WWII Memorial. Today, more than 6 million Vietnam veterans are in their own battle with time, Honor Flight said in a press statement. Many of them are in their mid-70s. More than 

300,000 Vietnam veterans have died from exposure to Agent Orange, and all Vietnam veterans who served in that country are presumed to have had exposure to the chemical.

“We feel the race is on to get these veterans the ‘welcome home’ that most never received for their service,” said Matt Voris, board president for High Plains Honor Flight. “In our last three trips to  Washington, D.C., we have had a minimum of 100 Vietnam veterans on each trip.”

Each chartered flight to Washington follows a send-off celebration shared with  family and friends. Following the send-off, the veteran-filled buses depart for the airport with an  escort of law enforcement officials and hundreds of motorcycles from groups that support veterans. Once in Washington, the group tours all the major war memorials and Arlington National Cemetery. 

Moving from a single flight each year to two will require a doubling of donations. “This is an  ambitious effort, but we are confident we will see people step up to provide the necessary support,” said Voris. The next flight is scheduled for April 28, 2024. Donations can be made online at HighPlainsHonorFlight.org.  

High Plains Honor Flight is funded only by donations, which are managed by the Weld County Community Foundation. High Plains serves veterans in Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming.

on Facebook on LinkedIn