SWANTON, Ohio — A way to show appreciation for northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan's veterans will dedicate an entire trip to those who served in Vietnam.
Flag City Honor Flight made the announcement Wednesday at Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport.
The third flight of 2022 will take more than a hundred Vietnam veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit monuments and memorials dedicated to all who served.
The normal selection process for Honor Flight gives priority to veterans of World War II, followed by those who served in the Korean War era and then Vietnam War era veterans.
But there are more Vietnam veterans and with no flights in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, many have now waited six years for the trip.
“A veteran shouldn’t wait six years to get on an Honor Flight to D.C.," Flag City Honor Flight president Bob Weinberg said. "We have a big bottleneck. We have over 400 veterans - Vietnam era veterans - waiting to fly to D.C. So this is big news to have an all-Vietnam flight."
Ohio Logistics, a company in Findlay, is stepping up to sponsor the entire flight in November. Owner Chuck Bills is challenging other companies in the area to help pay for future Flag City Honor Flights. As many as four Flag City Honor Flights may happen next year.
The day trip flies straight to D.C. and services veterans in Hancock County, northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.
Flag City Honor Flight made the announcement to get the word out for November.
Each veteran is accompanied by a guardian with them for a day during Honor Flight trips to help them get around, but since fewer Vietnam veterans have mobility issues, over a hundred Vietnam veterans can go as opposed to what regularly would be 81 veterans.
To apply as a veteran, guardian or volunteer, visit Flag City Honor Flight website at this link.
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