Brian Rowell Daily Press Veterans wait to board a plane to Washington DC during an Honor Flight at Delta County Airport. The next Honor Flight will be on September 18.
ESCANABA – Upper Peninsula Honor Flight is preparing for its 24th mission to fly U.S. veterans to Washington, D.C. in three weeks.
On Wednesday, September 18, a plane carrying 60 veterans – all residents from across the UP – as well as volunteers and caregivers will depart from Delta County Airport in Escanaba at 6:30 a.m. After touring the memorials in the nation’s capital that honor their service and fallen countrymen, Mission XXIV will fly back to Escanaba and is expected to arrive at 9:30 p.m.
UP Honor Flight President Scott Knauf said there will be three Korea veterans and 57 Vietnam veterans on board and that they are from all branches of the military. Although Howard Seid, recently named UP Veteran of the Year, received a golden ticket for this trip, he will instead make the trip in May with Mission XXV.
The organization would also like to organize an honor flight for women only next year if there is enough interest. So far, Knauf reported on Monday, 26 female veterans have signed up on a waiting list. A date for the flight has not yet been set.
For more information and applications for veterans and volunteers, visit uphonorflight.org. Questions can be directed to 906-280-2871.
UP Honor Flight is the local hub of the National Honor Flight Network, which has honored approximately 300,000 American veterans with trips to DC since 2005.
