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!

Read About The West Georgia Honor Flight

An article from the Ledger-Enquirer about the West Georgia Honor Flight. Click HERE to read the whole article...

West Georgia Honor Flight exists solely to recognize the commitment and sacrifices of America’s heroes — heroes like Rome O. Stephens.

As a young 2nd Lt. with the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II, Stephens led a platoon in Operation Market Garden, the single largest airborne drop in history.

“During that endeavor, I lost about 18 men,” the 87-year-old recalled.

WLTZ News Story Announcing West Georgia Honor Flight

We announced the formation of the West Georgia Honor Flight at the weekly meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Columbus. WLTZ NBC 38 was there to carry the story. Knology and The Hughston Clinic both presented checks in the amount of $10,000 each. Click here to read more about the story. Or simply click the play button to see the video.

School Children Provide Support for Honor Flight Programs

Some of the most ardent supporters of the various honor flight programs around the nation have been school children. A unique part of the honor flight experience is when WWII veterans speak to classes about their experiences. The children have responded in turn by supporting the veterans by attending the airport homecoming celebrations, raising money for the program, and in some cases even traveling to Washington, D.C. to experience the memorial with their veterans.

Recently, students from Santa Rosa County in Northwest Florida raised over $30,000 to help sponsor the Emerald Coast Honor Flight hub's April 29th flight. The students held car washes, yard sales, penny wars, among other fundraisers to raise the money. Veterans have visited many of the schools and have shared their WWII experiences. They have helped children connect to history in a significant way while learning from first-hand sources the meaning of courage, devotion, patriotism, and sacrifice.

Closer to home, Prattville Alabama schools have embraced their Honor Flight program as well. Schools have raised money, made banners and signs, and even constructed a memoral on their campus. Prattville Christian Academy raised over $10,000 by selling bricks and building an "Honor Walk" to honor WWII veterans. One 6th grade class actually made the trip to D.C. ahead of the veterans so they could be at the WWII memorial to greet their heroes when they arrived. The local news captured perhaps the most poignant moment of the surprise greeting; a student showing his thanks with a salute, and an old soldier returning the favor.

The Honor Flight program provides a bridge from our country's past to our future. But this is possible only because volunteers cared enough to give of their time to help create this link between America's "Latest Generation" and her "Greatest Generation".

Hughston Clinic and its Doctors Announce $10,000 Commitment to Honor Flight

The Hughston Clinic and several of its doctors have made a $10,000 commitment to help provide the funding needed for the West Georgia Honor Flight. Supporting the Honor Flight comes naturally to many of the doctors at the clinic who are veterans themselves. Hughston Clinic doctors and staff will also support the flight by serving on the medical support team when the flight goes to Washington on September 22.

Taking Care of 100 Heroes

August 15, 1945, VJ Day, effectively marked the end of World War II. If an 18 year old had joined the military in 1945, he/she would now be 82 years old. That's the youngest (legal) WWII Veteran as of today. I say legal because over 200,000 of our heroes actually signed up for service earlier than their 18th birthday.

The West Georgia Honor Flight will be taking 100 of these 82+ olds to Washington, D.C. safely and comfortably thanks to policies set forth by The Honor Flight Network which place veteran safety and comfort above all considerations. The HFN policies clearly state that program safety is our single overriding priority. Nothing takes greater precendence than the safe transport to Washington, D.C. and return of all our veterans to their families.

Our Honor Flight Guardians are the key to a safe and successful trip. A guardian will accompany each veteran that requires a wheel chair or walker for safe movement. For those veterans that normally do not need a wheel chair or walker, a guardian will accompany every 3 veterans. In addition, there will be volunteer staff that are also able to help out as the day goes on. We will also have extra wheel chairs for those veterans that need one during the day.

The West Georgia Honor Flight will also have medical staff accompany us on the trip. Guardians who apply that have nursing, EMT or other medical training will be given priority spots on the trip. Our goal is to have 2 medical personnel on each charter bus in Washington - a total of 6.

We will be utilizing a charter jet for our trip. While this is more expensive than purchasing group airline tickets and traveling to or through Atlanta, a charter jet gives us much more comfort and flexibility. Our charter will allow us to fly direct to/from Washington D.C., and will depart and arrive at the Columbus Metropolitan Airport. With a charter we will be able to control our own check-in lines and ensure that everyone is taken care of.

Once in Washington, we will have 3 charter buses at our disposal. Thanks to a national agreement with the Honor Flight Network, we will be using a charter bus service that has taken care of many honor flights and knows the routine well. The Honor Flight Network is very aware of trip/fall dangers at the WWII Memorial and we will make the veterans and guardians aware of these as well. Safety of our veterans is paramount.

As of last year, over 11,000 WWII Veterans safely took part in their Honor Flight. This year that number will total over 25,000. We look forward to helping you or your loved one take theirs.

How are we going to raise $68,000?

When you think about the money that has to raised to charter an airline, rent buses in D.C., provide 160 meals x 3, plus all of the ancillary expenses that go into the trip - it can seem mind blowing. And in some ways it is - it will be the major challenge that we face as we start putting these trips together.

Once, when I was telling a friend about a huge task that I had ahead of me, he asked me "Well, do you know how to eat an elephant? - you eat him one bite at a time!" And that's what we have to do when it comes to raising the funds for each Honor Flight.

First of all, we are very fortunate to have some great corporate sponsors. Knology made the first committment to the West Georgia Honor Fund in the amount of $10,000, which was followed by another $10,000 from WLTZ/CW Network. We are going to need a couple of more $10,000 corporate sponsors to get things off of the ground.

Secondly, each volunteer Guardian will pay $400, which covers their costs of the trip. We will raise another $16,000 this way.

Thirdly, and the secret incredient, we need civic clubs, churches, private donors, school children to adopt a WWII Veteran. Join our "20 for 20" Club and get 20 people in your organization to donate just $20 - that equals $400 and pays for one veteran to go to Washington, D.C. If we can just get 30 organizations to commit to sponsor 1 veteran - we are on our way to completing West Georgia Honor Flight #1. Can your organization commit to even more than $400? Even better - we'll get there even quicker!

Lots to do even before you can announce what you are doing!

Everything that we are doing now is to make sure we are ready for when we make the big announcement on Tuesday May 26th. Our website is coming along well. A logo for the West Georgia Honor Flight is being designed by our good friends at Colormac. Applications for the veterans, guardians and volunteers are being printed and getting ready for distribution, and we are getting ready to approach the press and let them know what we are doing. I've also been working on a power point presentation that explains what the Honor Flight Network does and what we need to make it a huge success here. 

We still have even more to do. We need to get billboard art designed so that we can get on the digital billboards on Whitesville Road and on Airport Thuway (thank you Knology). Speaking of Knology, we also need to get something on the Weather Channel crawl. When we make the announcement on May 26th, we need to be ready on all fronts. Lots to do... but its going to be well worth the effort when the first Honor Flight from Columbus, GA touches down in D.C.

WLTZ and the CW Network sign on as media partners as well as contributing sponsors

It is my great pleasure to welcome WLTZ & the CW Network as not only Media Partners, but also as Contributing Sponsors to the West Georgia Honor Flight. Drew Rhodes, the General

 Manager, as well as the rest of the crew at the station, are extremely excited to be a part of our program. Expect to see a lot of Honor Flight updates each week on WLTZ's local news programming. Welcome Aboard!

Frequently Asked Questions about Honor Flight

The following is a list of Frequently Asked Questions about Honor Flight. This list and more information can be found at the Honor Flight Network website www.honorflight.org

Q. Can my wife (husband) go with me?

A: No. At the present time, we have over 8,000 World War II veterans on our national waiting list and thousands more who will apply this year. It is doubtful that we will get to every deserving veteran in time. Over 250 World War II veterans have passed away while patiently waiting their turn. Hundreds more will not live long enough to visit their precious memorial. Imagine how long the waiting list would be if we added non-veteran spouses to our waiting list. The only spouses who are permitted to go are those who are veterans themselves.

Q: I am the widow of a WWII Veteran. Can I go?

A:  Sadly, the answer is "no". Again, we simply do not have the resources, funding, or seating available to transport all the World War II veterans who are presently on our national waiting list. Adding spouses and widows simply isn't an option for our program at this time.

Q: How much does it cost? How much money do I need to bring?

A:  The cost is FREE for World War II and terminally ill veterans. You do not need to bring any money, unless you intend to purchase souvenirs.

Q: Can my son, daughter, grandson go as a guardian?

A:  Only under certain limited circumstances. Our TOP priority is the safe travel of ALL the veterans. A normal ratio is 8 veterans to 3 guardians. Who will or will not serve as a guardian, and how many guardians will be needed, is the sole responsibility of the Program Director. That decision is based upon many factors, such as:

• How many disabled veterans are scheduled to go?
• Of the disabled veterans going, how many will have to be physically assisted getting on and off the bus?
• Which guardian applicants are most qualified? Medically trained, active duty military personnel and veterans who have previously participated in a flight are given top priority and serve as leadership members. The applicants physically capable of assisting in the lifting of World War II veterans are also a top priority. Once the director feels enough of those positions have been filled, other applicants are then considered. Again, these decisions rest solely with the Program Director.

Q: Can I make a donation to the Honor Flight Network?

A:  Honor Flight Network gratefully accepts donations from anyone EXCEPT World War II veterans. We feel that World War II veterans have given enough. This is our way of saying "Thank You"!

Q: How do you decide which veterans get to go?

A:  Veterans are flown on a "first-come, first-served basis." Within the applicants, top priority is currently given to World War II veterans and all other veterans with terminal illness. Our second priority is to Korean War veterans and then Vietnam War veterans.

Q: How are you funded?

A:  Sadly, despite our best attempts at fundraising, Honor Flight Network Network receives no national, corporate or government sponsorship. Our funding comes primarily from individuals across the country who recognize the great accomplishments and sacrifices of veterans and want them to see their memorial before it's too late. Other significant contributors have been fraternal organizations like local American Legion, VFW, Am Vets, DAV, MOPH, posts and chapters, as well as various corporations on a local level.

Q: What if the veteran will need oxygen or a wheelchair?

A:  WHEELCHAIRS -- About 30% of the veterans we have transported over the past three years were in wheelchairs. Our deluxe motor coaches are ordered based upon this fact. Many of our coaches are equipped with wheelchair lifts. If there is a possibility that a veteran may need a wheelchair during one of our trips, we ask that the veteran bring their own. If a wheelchair is not available, you can usually sign one out from your local fraternal organization (VFW, American Legion, AMVETS, DAV, etc). I

OXYGEN -- If the veteran requires oxygen, a prescription for the oxygen must be provided by the veteran's healthcare provider, identifying the delivery method (mask or nasal cannula), frequency (as needed or continuously), and the rate of delivery (2-3 liters per minute). Honor Flight Network will provide an FAA-approved oxygen concentrator for use during the trip if local oxygen equipment is not available. We also provide oxygen cylinders to be used at the memorials. Veterans on oxygen are required to have oxygen cylinders available from their home to the departure airport and also on the return from their local airport back to their homes. No oxygen cylinders are permitted to be used on the aircraft. 

Q: Are terminally ill veterans given any priority?

A:  YES! Such veterans go to the top of the list for the next flight departing to Washington D.C. as part of our TLC Program. Not only are World War II veterans given this top priority, but any terminally ill veteran, who has never been able to visit their memorial, is given the same priority under our TLC Program. Please call us for more information.

Knology makes $10,000 Commitment to West Georgia Honor Flight Fund

Knology announces $10,000 contribution to help establish the West Georgia Honor Flight Fund with the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley. The West Georgia Honor Flight will honor our area’s World War II veterans by flying them to Washington D.C. to reflect at their WWII Memorial for a one-day free visit. Top priority is given to WWII veterans and veterans of more recent conflicts who may be terminally ill.

“The Honor Flight program is a great way to give back to our local members of America’s Greatest Generation. The trip will not only be an important day in the lives of our WWII veterans, but it will provide a lifetime of memories to the volunteer guardians who accompany them.”, Knology General Manager Royce Ard who also serves as West Georgia Honor Flight’s Board Chair.

Paperwork Is Complete

It's amazing how much we have accomplished in the few short weeks since we decided to move forward and start an Honor Flight Hub in Columbus, GA. A board of directors has been seated, officer elections held, an application to the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley was made - and accepted, and a lot of paperwork has now been completed and sent off to The Honor Flight Network for formal petition to join the group.

We have a lot of work ahead of us, but the West Georgia Honor Flight Hub has a great board and an awesome partner in the Community Foundation. Betsy Covington, the Executive Director at the Community Foundation, has already proven herself to be an incredible partner. She understands how to navigate the complexities of operating a non-profit and has provided our board with invaluable insight and advice. The Community Foundation will handle most of our backoffice duties - the accounting, record keeping and administrative tasks that ensure that our donors' resources are used to fulfill our mission of sending WWII Veterans to Washington, D.C. Betsy, her staff and board, have taken a huge load off of our board and have allowed us to get off to an incredibly fast start.

The formal announcement of the formation of the hub will be on Tuesday, May 26th at the meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Columbus. Hopefully by this time we'll have applications printed, PSA's geared up and ready to run on TV and radio, as well as a story ready for the newspaper. By announcing our new organization on the 26th, we will be able to hopefully add to the wave of patriotism that comes from celebrating Memorial Day.

Our website should be up and operating in the next week or so: www.wgahonorflight.org . Special thanks to Reggie Luther and TracSoft for making this happen - again on a lightening quick schedule.

Finally, a word about this blog. I'll be using this blog to not only describe the planning that goes in to conducting an Honor Flight to Washington, but also to let veterans, guardians, volunteers andd families know what's going on. So stay tuned for an exciting ride!