09/21/2015

Fourth Honor Flight of 2015

Sept. 21, 2015 — For the first time in Honor Flight history, 72 female Tri-State veterans and their female veteran guardians will take an Honor Flight from the CVG tomorrow, destined for Washington D.C. to see memorials and participate in ceremonies that honor their service to their country.

Honor Flight Tri-State is a non-profit organization whose sole mission is to fly veterans 65 and older who served stateside or overseas to their memorials in Washington, D.C. at no cost. The oldest veterans will fly first. All veterans traveling on this flight are from the Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and South Eastern Indiana area.

The Sept. 22 flight will include visits to the World War II Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Iwo Jima, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the US Air Force Memorial and a special visit to the Women in Combat Memorial at Arlington, along with other Washington D.C. sights.

“Our goal is to honor as many veterans as we can before it is too late,” said Cheryl Popp, director of Honor Flight Tri-State. "Honor Flight Tristate is honored to be the first group in the nation to have an all-female Honor Flight. If you want to meet the veterans -- please come to the airport by 6 a.m. or be among the many locals welcoming them home at 10:15 pm the same night!"

The September 22 flight will depart CVG at 8 a.m. It will be preceded by bag pipes from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department, an Honor Guard ceremony and other special remarks in the area near the east end of the security checkpoint, all beginning about 6 a.m.  

“We are honored to play a part in an event that recognizes true national heroes who bravely served our country. We are proud to assist Honor Flight Tristate in hosting the first all-female Honor Flight in the country,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

A total of 150 people will be on the US Airways chartered flight. Each veteran will be accompanied by a veteran guardian, 10% of the guardians are family and 90% of the guardians are volunteers who paid their own way or were sponsored by a corporation or individual.

Honor Flight Tri-State makes a total of five trips to Washington, D.C. per year. The final Honor Flight is October 20.

To contribute or volunteer, please visit Honor Flight Tri-State.