Local Sarasota residents are working with Honor Flight® of West Central Florida (HFWCF) to raise donations to finance ‘Mission 22’ – An all expense-paid day for 80 World War II Veterans in our area to visit the war memorials in Washington, D.C on June 23, 2015. With 300+ local World War II Veterans averaging 91 years of age on the Honor Flight waiting list, time is of the essence to ensure the her
oes whose sacrifice gave us a lifetime of freedom get to enjoy a day dedicated to honoring them. World War II truly threatened our very existence as a nation—and as a culturally diverse and free society. Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to flyingVeterans to Washington D.C. to visit and reflect at the memorials built to honor their service to the nation. Top priority is given to World War II survivors, along with other Veterans who may be terminally ill. A film on Honor Flight detailing the impact and urgency of these flights will be shown early this summer. More information on the film is viewable online: http://www.honorflightthemovie.com/
To donate:
Online: Honor Flight West Central Florida website: http://www.honorflightwcf.org/donate-today.html Mail:Check to Honor Flight of West Central Florida, P.O. Petersburg, FL 33732. Specify ‘Mission 22’ in your donation or via email to [email protected].
“I am honored to have the opportunity to help recognize and honor our local World War II Veterans by working to help make Mission 22 a reality,” said Melissa Fox-Howard, one of the local organizers leading the Honor Flight Mission 22 effort. “There is a very real sense of urgency here – with over 640 World War II-era Veterans passing away every day, we need to make Mission 22 happen now, as well as future Honor Flights for Veterans in our area.” Melissa is working with local volunteers Britt Miner, Mimi Carlin, and Rich Schineller to get Mission 22 in the air. Each Honor Flight Veteran is accompanied by a volunteer “guardian” assigned to them. Local WWII Veteran Bob Olweiler was a Navy Corpsman on Iwo Jima and Saipan and participated in a 2014 Honor Flight mission. While on his way to see the memorials with his guardian Britt Riner, he reflected to her, “You spending this day with me is like when I, as a 14-year-old Life Scout spent the day with Civil War Veterans at the 75th Gettysburg Reunion in 1938.” Riner remembers her amazement when she realized the WWII Veteran’s hand she shook had also shaken the hands of Civil War Veterans. Honor Flights are always completely free of charge to Veterans, but the program costs approximately $400 per Veteran and includes a same-day round-trip flight to Washington, D.C., tour bus, three meals, and an official uniform. Guardians pay their own way (also $400 including the same items), but as Riner recounts from her two missions, “It’s a priceless trip of a lifetime, for the Veteran and the volunteer. I can ‘sacrifice’ $400 when they have sacrificed so much more.” She added, “My grandfather passed away before the WWII memorial in Washington was completed, so in honor of him, I take other people’s grandfathers.”
These men and women came home from war, threw their bags in the closet, and went back to work with little welcome home or gratitude for their service, let alone time to process and reflect on the lives of those who didn’t return home. It’s time we showed them the honor they’ve deserved for the last 70 years. Help Honor Flight Mission 22 do just that! Do you know of a WWII Veteran who would like to see his/her memorials? Would you like to help send Veterans to Washington, DC? Would you like to volunteer as a guardian and spend a day with a hero in Washington, DC? Any amount helps! Donations may be made through the Honor Flight West Central Florida website (hyperlinkhttp://www.honorflightwcf.org/donate-today.html) or by mailed check to Honor Flight of West Central Florida, P.O. Please make sure to specify ‘Mission 22’ in your donation or via email to [email protected]. To nominate a Veteran for Honor Flight and for additional information on local Honor Flight Mission 22 fundraisers or ways to help, please contact Britt Riner, 703-342-9322 or [email protected] or Melissa Fox-Howard, 941 587-8166 or [email protected]. HFWCF was established in late 2010 as an official Regional Hub of the National Honor Flight Network and has flown 1,415 Veterans to D.C. to see their Memorials and Honored 27 Veterans at home who are unable to travel. Media Contact:
Rich Schineller
941.780.8100
[email protected]
