The Villages Honor Flight will go on despite the government shutdown.
Twenty-five WWII veterans, including 19 from the Summerfield-Lady Lake-Villages area are to be honored Saturday on the Villages Honor Flight to Washington D.C.
“These WWII veterans made extreme personal sacrifices and risked their lives to literally save the world. We are honored that we can provide this trip for them and thank them for their valiant and unselfish service,” said Mark Erdrich, Flight Director for the mission.
Some memorials may be closed, but Honor Flight volunteers are determined to get the local veterans to Washington D.C.
” These great Americans waited 59 years to finally get a memorial dedicated to them (1945-2004) and it would be unfair to deny them the chance to see it, which for some could be the last chance, because politicians (who work for them) are holding them hostage,” said John Driscoll of Villages Honor Flight.
On Tuesday, a group of World War II veterans from elsewhere in the country were on an Honor Flight and were nearly blocked from access to the World War II Memorial. U.S. Rep. Rich Nugent, who represents The Villages, helped remove barricades so the veterans could visit the memorial.
You can read about that incident at the link below:
http://villages-news.com/congressman-moves-barricades-wwii-vets-day-one-government-shutdown/
Community encouraged to welcome vets home
The community is invited to honor these 25 WWII veteran heroes when they return from this one day trip at a “Welcome Home Ceremony,a ceremony they never received at the end of their service. This free event, open to the public, is held at American Legion Post 347 on County Road 466 and Rolling Acres Road in Lady Lake. Live entertainment begins at 9:30 p.m., and the buses transporting them from the airport are schedule to arrive about 10:30 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring a chair, an American flag and a friend.
Villages Honor Flight is a hub of the National Honor Flight Network, a non-profit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for their sacrifices. Veterans are flown, without expense to them, to Washington D.C. to visit the memorials established in their honor and visit Arlington National Cemetery to witness the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Each veteran is accompanied by a guardian, who pays their own way, to assist them.
Villages Honor Flight serves veterans in Lake, Sumter, Marion, Hernando and Citrus counties.
Over 365 veterans, principally WWII veterans, from these areas have registered with Villages Honor Flight to make this trip of a life time. At the conclusion of this flight more than 225 veterans will have flown on a Villages Honor Flight. One additional flight is scheduled for Nov. 2, with 25 veterans on the flight.
