Second Honor Flight Out of Columbus

Stefanie Tiso

Story Created: Jul 31, 2009 at 5:58 AM CDT

Story Updated: Jul 31, 2009 at 6:26 AM CDT

NBC 38 is first to learn that the upcoming September 22nd West Georgia Honor Flight will not be the only one. Plans are on for a second Honor Flight out of Columbus. Royce Ard with the West Georgia Honor Flight Fund says interest has been so great that there will be an amble number of veterans for a second flight. About 20 over the limit of 100 veterans per flight, he says about five veterans a week are still signing up.

As for funds, the $68,000 needed for the first flight has been raised. And to Ard's delight more donations come in every day. “It's a good cause so we thought funding would be strong. But, it's been a lot stronger than we thought it ever would be. And once everyone sees what one of these flights looks like, and talk to some veterans and they're just going to have a wonderful day. And when they get back and they're able to tell their story, I think that the public will continue to support it,” said Ard.

The earliest the second flight would happen is in October. When it happens all depends on how quickly funding comes in. So if money isn't raised by then, the second flight would be delayed until April when the next flight season starts. So far a total of 260 people have donated to the west Georgia Honor flight. To pick up veteran or guardian applications, visit the offices of: NBC 38, Knology, Rob Doll Nissan or the Community Foundation, you can also go online to wgahonorflight.org.

Flight #1 Orientation

There is a mandatory orientation meeting for all veterans and guardians going on Flight #1, departing Columbus Metro Airport on September 22nd. This meeting will be held on August 29th at St. Luke Methodist Church from 9 am - 11 am.

Flight #1 is fully funded and is FULL! We have 100 Veterans, 6 members of the press and 53 guardians and volunteers. This translates into 3 completely full tour buses in Washington, DC. A full itinerery is being planned, but at this time we know that the flight will depart at 8 am and will arrive back in Columbus that night at about 8:45. More plans to follow...

Have questions about the flight? Give us a call at (706) 507-9944.

Letters Are In The Mail!

Letters informing veterans and guardians of their acceptance for West Georgia Honor Flight #1 were in the mail as of Thursday, July 23rd. Everyone who has a confirmed slot on this flight should have their letter by Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

We were able to take almost all of the veterans, but there are about 10 veteran's applications that remain unscheduled. Not to worry as we are already planning on Flight #2. It is possible that this flight will happen in 2009, but could occur as late as Spring 2010. The Honor Flight Network does not allow flights between the months of November and March due to cold weather. So if we are unable to put this flight together prior to the end of October, we will schedule a firm date in April.

Veterans who have not sent in their application should send it in NOW! We need to start planning on the 2nd flight as soon as possible. We will also be accepting guardian applications for Flight #2 as well. If you are planning on accompanying a loved one on this flight, PLEASE get your guardian application in as soon as possible. We had 6 or 7 guardians for Flight #1 who were unable to go with their loved on because their application was too late.

For more information about this flight, please give us a call (706) 507-9944.

The Flight is Filling Up!

As of just a few minutes ago, we have 86 WWII veterans signed up and ready to go for the inaugural West Georgia Honor Flight departing Columbus, GA Metro Airport on September 22nd. That leaves just 14 more seats for veterans. If you have an application, please mail it or drop it by the Community Foundation as soon as possible. Since we received 27 applications this week, and 37 the week before, I don't think its reaching to say that the flight will be full by July 4th.

We won't know exactly how many guardians we will need until we have received all 100 veteran applications due to the fact that we have to understand what mobility issues we will need to address on the flight. We assign 1 guardian to every 3 veterans, but in the case of a veteran that will need a wheel chair for all or most of the day, we assign 1 guardian for 1 veteran. However that said, I think we are probably down to our last 3 or 4 guardian slots.

What if I don't make this flight? We have said from the beginning that we will carry WWII veterans to visit their memorial as long as we have veterans that want to go, and financial support from the community to send them. We still have about $6,000 more to raise, but as soon as we have flight #1 paid for, we will begin making plans for flight #2. The Honor Flight Network only allows flights from March - October due to weather concerns, so if we decide to do another flight in 2009, we are going to have to push to raise the needed money.

Do you belong to a group, civic club or church that would consider helping raise the money needed to support a flight? Please give us a call at (706) 507-9944 and let's discuss how your group can be involved. Most of our donations are less than $100, so don't feel like you have to raise the entire $70,000 on your own. Every dollar counts. Remember that just 20 people donating $20 sends 1 veteran on the flight. We can do this!!!

West Georgia Honor Flight Update

West Georgia Honor Flight is making significant strides toward its goal of raising $68,000 and flying 100 World War II veterans from Columbus to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The veterans, all from the Chattahoochee Valley area, will visit the World War II Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, and other sites.

Royce Ard, chairman of West Georgia Honor Flight, said Tuesday that the community initiative is $14,000 away from its goal. “The financial support has been fantastic,” said Ard. “We recently surpassed $54,000 in giving.”

The number of WWII veterans to sign up for the trip has reached 67, said Ard. “We had 37 veterans sign up last week,” he said. “The word is spreading fast and we should hit our goal of 100 veterans soon.”

Most of these veterans have not seen the WWII Memorial in Washington since it opened in 2004. A charter flight will leave Columbus at 7:30 a.m. and return home that night at 8:30 p.m. A big “Welcome Home” reception is planned at the Columbus airport upon the veterans’ return.

Ard said West Georgia Honor Flight recently made a reservation with Miami Air to charter a 737 airplane for the trip. The plane holds 172 passengers.

“Everything is moving along smoothly,” said Ard. “We are still taking applications from veterans and guardians. The response has been so overwhelming that we are now considering a second flight.”

West Georgia Honor Flight is a designated fund of the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley Inc., making it possible for tax-deductible donations to be made in support of the flight. Businesses and individuals can contribute to the fund to ensure that deserving veterans can experience this memorable event.

Donations can be made to the fund by phone (706) 320-0027, via credit card at the Community Foundation’s website, www.cfcv.com, or by sending a check to:

West Georgia Honor Flight Fund
c/o Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley
1340 13th Street
Columbus, GA 31901

Questions about West Georgia Honor Flight can be answered by calling (706) 507-WWII (9944) or by visiting the group’s website at www.wgahonorflight.org.

Another Great Day for the WLTZ Telethon

The WLTZ telethon for the West Georgia Honor Flight continues to bring in needed donations. Bear O'Brian from Kissin' 99.3 joined the crew today to help get the phones ringing. At the end of the day, the total amount raised was nearly $8,500!

To put that in perspective, $8,500 means that 21 WWII Veterans will get the chance to visit their memorial in Washington, DC. And that's fantastic!

During my short time on the phones today I also had a chance to talk to two WWII Veterans that had called in for more information. One was a woman veteran. While today that would hardly seem worth mentioning, there weren't as many opportunities for women in the armed forces in the 1940's. In the past two weeks I have actually spoken with 3 women WWII veterans and all were excited about the chance to go to DC to visit their memorial.

Every day we get closer to the goal of raising $68,000 for the flight. It's hard to believe that we are just starting our 3rd week of fundraising. The community is clearly behind our mission and that feels great!

Let's pause for a short breath, give ourselves a pat on the back, and go back to work. We've done a lot, but we still have more to do.

WWII Memorial 11 Years In The Making

PMB Broadcasting Raises Money and Awareness for West Georgia Honor Flight

The good folks at Kiss'n 99.3, 95.3 The Ride, Q107.3, and 103.7 The Truth have joined forces to raise money and awareness for the West Georgia Honor Flight. Special thanks to all of the on air talent who are giving their time and talents to help us raise $68,000 for this special flight. Our goal is to raise this money in the short period of time between Memorial Day and July 4th! These folks are helping us do it!

Dr. Jan McBarron Donates $1,000 to West Georgia Honor Flight

A big "Thank You" goes out to Dr. Jan McBarron (Duke and the Doctor) for a $1,000 donation that she made to the West Georgia Honor Flight in memory of her father, who was a WWII Veteran.

West Georgia Honor Flight To Have Tent At Aflac Outdoor Games

Volunteers needed to man the West Georgia Honor Flight tent at the Aflac Outdoor Games. We need about 10 people who would work a shift lasting approximately 4-5 hours. Knology is donating free tickets to the volunteers, so you'll get in free and since you are only working for 1/2 day, you'll have the rest of the day to see the sights.

Please call the Volunteer Help Line at (706) 507-9944 and press 0 to leave a message to vounteer.

NBC 38 Telethon for the West Georgia Honor Flight

I was up early this morning to be on hand as WLTZ NBC 38 kicked off their weeklong telethon in support of the West Georgia Honor Flight. Calvin Floyd has dedicated his "Rise and Shine" show this week to help raise money to help local WWII Veterans take their Honor Flight to the WWII Memorial in DC.

6 o'clock comes early and so did the donations. In the space of an hour, Calvin's viewers had donated $1,600 to Honor Flight. To put that in perspective, in that short period of time we raised enough money to be able to pay for 4 WWII Veterans to take the flight to DC.

Special guests on this morning's show included Mayor Jim Weatherington and Teresa Tomlinson. Both left personal donations for Honor Flight as they left the studio. Great people! "My Mechanic" was also there but instead of his usual monday morning topic of taking care of your car, he announced a special this week where he is matching contributions from his customers and donating the money to Honor Flight. The good folks at Tires 1st also called in with a $100 donation.

Join Calvin and the entire staff of WLTZ this week as they raise money for the West Georgia Honor Flight. The telethon airs each morning from 6-7 am and again from 12 noon -1 pm.

CNN Interviews Honor Flight Founder Earl Morse on D-Day

Honor Flight founder Earl Morse speaks about the urgency of flying WWII vets to their memorial in Washington.

Article in Columbus Ledger-Enquirer Supporting Honor Flight

In early March, I wrote about the Honor Flight Network that provides free transportation for World War II veterans to fly to Washington to visit the World War II memorial. Last week, Lily Gordon wrote about the new West Georgia Honor Flight program.

Nonetheless, I think this program is sufficiently important to warrant a second look.

Click here to see the whole Article.

WTVM News Story on West Georgia Honor Flight

Follow this link to read the story that appeared on WTVM News on May 29th. Or simply click the play button to see the video.

Thinking of Becoming A Guardian?

Are you thinking of traveling along with us as an Honor Flight Guardian? Think Quick! Guardian spots are filling up fast. The Honor Flight Guardian is one of the most important volunteers in the program. Without you, the flights just can not happen. 

Guardians are responsible for their assigned veterans. Typically, a guardian is assigned to 3 different veterans. If the veteran is in a wheel chair or needs a walker, then that veteran is assigned their very own guardian.

As a guardian, you will help the veterans with their boarding passes, help them get through security, assist them with boarding and unboarding the plane, loading and unloading from the buses, assisting with lunches, and any other thing that the veteran needs help with. The guardian is responsible for ensuring that the veteran has a safe and enjoyable trip to visit their memorial.

What kind of people become guardians? Well let me give you a few examples: The CEO for a publicly traded telecom company, a 14 year old Boy Scout who is serving as the guardian for his grandfather, and a National Guardsmen that is receiving his guardian's papers for father's day as a gift from his wife. Every guardian has a story... And you do as well. What motivates you to be a guardian? The memory of a parent or grandparent that served in WWII? The neighbor you had when you were growing up that mezmerized you with stories about fighting in the pacific? The history teacher from high school that amazed you with stories of self-sacrifice?

We look forward to traveling with you. Let's get those applications in!