95 veterans will be given the trip of a lifetime as Central Missouri Honor Flight (CMHF) No. 64 is scheduled to take flight 1:45 a.m. Friday, August 12.
A news release says the passenger list includes 5 Korean War veterans, 89 Vietnam veterans and 1 veteran who served in WWII. All 95 veterans will enjoy a one-day tour of the WWII Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Battle of Iwo Jima Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. At the Tomb of the Unknowns, honor flight veterans are quietly and respectfully acknowledged during the Changing of the Guard. Traveling with the veterans will be a medical team as well as guardians who assist veterans with wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen and companionship on the flight.
CMHF’s 64th mission departs Columbia at 1:45 a.m. Friday, August 12, and returns at 9:45 p.m. at the Columbia Courtyard by Marriott.
The public is encouraged to arrive at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Friday, August 12 to get a good view of the returning veterans whose buses arrive under the stars and stripes of a large American flag provided by the Columbia Fire Department. Area law enforcement agencies facilitate the honor flight buses’ return to Columbia including the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The buses are escorted along I-70 from Kingdom City by hundreds of motorcyclists as part of the Central Missouri Honor Flight Riders.
Area residents are encouraged to bring the family and give these veterans a loud and proud “welcome home!” by bringing banners and posters and waving flags upon their return.
Honor flights are provided at no cost to the veterans. CMHF is supported through generous business, organizational and individual donations from thousands in mid-Missouri. CMHF currently has a waiting list of veterans and will be contacting those individuals to participate in future flights in the order they applied. New applications are welcome, and applications can be downloaded at the organization’s website at www.centralmissourihonorflight.com. Or applicants may call (573) 256-1930 to leave their address and have an application mailed to them.