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.