Villages Honor Flight’s fourth flight this year will depart Thursday, Sept. 6 on a trip taking 62 area veterans to Washington, D.C.
Most of the veterans going on the trip served during the Korean War. But nine served during World War II. And one served in both of those wars.
Two of the veterans served during the 1950s and in Vietnam, one pulled duty in Vietnam and another was in WW II, Korea and Vietnam.
Of those taking the special trip, 27 served in the Army, 21 in the Navy, 10 in the Air Force and four in the Marine Corps. They come from The Villages, Wildwood, Lady Lake, Summerfield, Belleview, Leesburg, Ocala, Beverly Hills, Citrus Springs, Homosassa, Inverness, Kissimmee, and Tavares.
While in Washington, the veterans will visit the National World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, as well as take a bus tour through the city.
Villages Honor Flight serves veterans from the Central Florida counties of Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion and Sumter. Each veteran has a volunteer guardian to assist him/her. The trip is free for veterans, while guardians and staff pay their own way. The organization has flown more than 1,000 veterans since its first flight in May 2012.
Each Honor Flight begins with an early morning send-off at American Legion Post 347 in Lady Lake, located at the corner of County Road 466 and Rolling Acres Roads. The day-long trip will conclude with a Welcome Home celebration at the American Legion Post at about 1:15 a.m. Friday, depending on arrival time at Orlando International Airport.
The public is invited to participate in the Welcome Home celebration and is encouraged to bring a lawn chair and an American Flag. Entertainment begins at 11:30 p.m. and will include The Villages Cheerleaders, The Villages Twirlers and Drum Corps, and Ralph DiNome and his Flashback Band.
For further information, veteran and volunteer applications, go to www.villageshonorflight.org.