Jerry Lujan
Honor Flight is a national program that sends military veterans on a free trip to Washington, D.C. It is one way to say thank you to those men and women who set their personal lives aside to go to serve their country. Honor Flight Southern Arizona, Tucson is one of the 125 cities where these flights originate. WWII and Korean War Veterans are the men and women who availed themselves in a national effort to keep America safe during World War II (1941–1946) and the Korean War (1950-1955). It is now our responsibility to keep them from being forgotten, and to thank them for a job they did so long ago. Those veterans living in southern Arizona go on a three-day trip to Washington D.C. to visit the National WWII Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial, at no cost to them. The trip includes airfare, transportation, meals and lodging plus a guardian to watch over them. The trip allows each veteran the opportunity to feel the impact of their service as well as our nation’s gratitude. At every stop along the way, people cheer, shake their hands, and thank them for their service—it is something truly great to witness. Honor Flight Southern Arizona works year-round to conduct as many flights as possible. All flights depart from and return to Tucson International Airport.
Two SaddleBrooke residents who flew on recent Honor Flights are Julius Gutierrez (Gute) who flew on Honor Flight No. 19 October 17-19, 2015 (see SaddleBrooke Progress November 2015); and At Walsh who flew on Honor Flight No. 23 October 2-4, 2016 (see SaddleBrooke Progress November 2017.)
Go to honorflightsaz.org for additional information and how to sign up for a flight. Go to honorflight.org to learn how Honor Flight got started with six planes, six pilots and six veterans and how it grew to 125 cities nationwide.
The next flight will be in the spring 2018 but the actual date has not been decided.
Note: due to the length of the waiting list, veterans cannot select their travel dates when signing up for Honor Flight.