PrintThere are stunning memorials in Washington, D.C., honoring World War II, Korean and Vietnam veterans. The pity, however, is that while tens of thousands of tourists flock to see them on the National Mall every year, few of the visitors are veterans of those wars themselves.
A relatively new nonprofit organization called Honor Flight is out to change that. It's a simple concept. The organization, which was founded in Ohio in 2005 and has now spread to 100 locations throughout the U.S., arranges flights to Washington for the vets, organizes a group of volunteer "guardians" to accompany them, and transports them to each of the memorials all in one day.
Through 2009, more than 35,000 veterans of our nation's wars have been transported to Washington to see the monuments built in their honor.
Honor Flight now has a chapter -- or "hub," as they are called -- in Madison and it's planning to take its first planeload of 100 World War II veterans from the area to Washington on Saturday, April 17.
The Badger Honor Flight is starting with World War II vets for obvious reasons, Brian Ziegler, the hub's president, told me at lunch last week. Those vets are in their 80s now and many have few precious years left to see the sweeping circular memorial constructed at the foot of the Mall's Reflecting Pool, just west of the Washington Monument.
Ziegler, who is a veteran of two tours in the current war in Iraq and now works at Waunakee's Meffert Oil Co., says he and about 100 other volunteers became involved in the Madison chapter because they felt a duty to help veterans connect with how their country has honored them.
Longtime Madison Realtor Steve Bartlett, who has volunteered to help raise funds for organization, became involved after he witnessed an Honor Flight group of veterans, many in wheelchairs, at the memorial last year.
"I actually started crying," Bartlett said, when he saw the expressions on their faces. He came back to Madison, discovered that a local hub was forming here and quickly signed on to help.
Ziegler said the organization needs to raise $75,000 for that first flight in April. The Badger hub has already contracted with Sun Country Air for that first chartered flight.
"Raising money these days is the hardest part," he admitted. "We've been able to raise about $30,000 so far and we're hoping that some businesses and individuals will help get us there between now and then."
The area's Kwik Trip stores will promote the flight and collect donations in coming weeks. American Family, HyVee Foods and several area veterans groups have helped out with donations.
While the volunteer guardians, some medical support personnel for the older vets and officials pay their way, the veterans are guests of the hub. The cost, which includes the airfare, ground transportation from Dulles International Airport, a guided tour of each of the memorials and lunch, amounts to about $750 per veteran.
In addition to all that, when the plane returns home that Saturday evening, an honor guard joined by a band and a host of volunteers will give the vets a big welcome back as they come off the plane.
There will be more flights, Ziegler promises, pointing out that there are already up to 200 veterans on a waiting list -- about 90 percent are World War II vets -- and "we're going to take care of them."
You can help by sending a contribution to Badger Honor Flight, Box 258066, Madison, WI 53725 or clicking on its website. http://www.badgerhonorflight.org / Dave Zweifel is editor emeritus of The Capital Times. dzweifel@madison.com Posted in Dave_zweifel on Monday, February 15, 2010 5:00 am Updated: 4:34 pm.
