Serving Those Who Served: Volunteer to greet Honor Flight veterans

Honor Flights transport veterans to Washington D.C. memorials and volunteers can greet them on homecoming to honor them

Fifty veterans will take flight once again this Saturday but this time, it’s all to honor them.

Honor Flight Central Florida serves veterans in the local community by providing them free flights to memorials in Washington D.C. to honor the service and sacrifice of themselves and their friends. Guardian donors accompany veterans on this one-day trip at their own expense. This covers the cost of the Honor Flight related expenses and provides them the privilege of accompanying one of our hometown heroes for the day on the national mall.

On Saturday, May 6, the public is invited to welcome those veterans home at Orlando Sanford International Airport. Veterans on this flight, sponsored by Chapters Health Valor Program, include men and women from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam Era. The event begins at 9 p.m. with the veterans expected to land around 9:30 p.m. on a special Allegiant flight, according to the group’s Facebook event page.

Greeters can bring family and friends to make this a memorable experience for veterans and are welcomed to bring signs or flags to help celebrate these amazing men and women.

If you can’t make it out on Saturday, below is a list of upcoming flights, and you can always volunteer or donate by going to the Honor Flight Central Florida website.

  • Saturday, May 6 - Sanford Int’l Airport in Sanford. (52 vets, guardians & staff) Central Florida Chapter
  • Saturday, May 20 - Orlando Int’l Airport (25 vets, 25 guardians & staff) Space Coast Chapter
  • Saturday, June 10 - Orlando Int’l Airport (25 vets, 25 guardians & staff) Space Coast Chapter
  • Saturday, June 10 - Villages Honor Flight will have a Flightless Honor Flight with 25 veterans who are medically unable to take an airplane trip
  • Saturday, Sept. 9 - Orlando Int’l Airport (25 vets, 25 guardians & staff) Space Coast Chapter
  • Wednesday, Sept. 27 - Sanford Int’l Airport in Sanford. (70 vets, 70 guardians & staff) Villages Chapter
  • Saturday, Oct. 14 - Orlando Int’l Airport (25 vets, 25 guardians & staff) Space Coast Chapter
  • Saturday, Nov. 4 - Orlando Int’l Airport (25 vets, 25 guardians & staff) Space Coast Chapter
  • ·Saturday, Nov. 18 - Villages Honor Flight will have a Flightless Honor Flight with 25 veterans who are medically unable to take an airplane trip
Veterans on April 9, 2022 Honor Flight return home, greeted by the community (Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below:


About the Author:

Tara Evans is an executive producer and has been with News 6 since January 2013. She currently spearheads News 6 at Nine and specializes in stories with messages of inspiration, hope and that make a difference for people -- with a few hard-hitting investigations thrown in from time to time.

Recommended Videos