Honor Flight veterans receive a warm welcome home

Throngs of people stood, clapped and cheered to welcome home and thank 92 veterans and their guardians when the Land of Lincoln Honor Flight returned to Springfield’s Capitol Airport around 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 1.  After a long and hot day in Washington, D.C., the veterans walked the length of the airport with people standing shoulder-to-shoulder on both sides of the aisle, smiling and extending arms to shake hands. 

The Land of Lincoln Honor Flight provides free, round-trip transportation and a memorable day in Washington, D.C. for veterans to visit their war memorials. This was the 78^th Land of Lincoln Honor Flight since beginning in 2009. All are organized and led entirely by volunteers.

Joan Bortolon, board president of the nonprofit that organizes the trips, has been on every flight.  “I would be running down the tarmac if they closed the door without me,” Bortolon said.  After all the pre-planning and paperwork, she enjoys the day talking to veterans and guardians. “It is such a reward,” she said.

Countless hours go into the complicated logistics to plan the day’s events which include seeing the WWII Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, National Air and Space Museum, U.S. Air Force Memorial, U.S. Marine Corps Memorial and changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery. 

The group of 184 individuals certainly stands out in Washington, D.C. All wear matching Honor Flight shirts with each era having a different shirt color.  All of the guardians wear matching green shirts.

In the early years the flights served only World War II veterans but have since expanded.  The most recent Honor Flight had five Korean War veterans, 87 Vietnam-era veterans, 87 guardians and five volunteer staff/board members. There was one female veteran on the recent Honor Flight. She was accompanied by her husband, who is also a veteran, with their son as their guardian. 

The Land of Lincoln Honor Flight serves 33 counties. Top priority is given to WWII veterans, followed by veterans of the Korean War and then Vietnam War eras. Terminally ill veterans of any of these eras are given special consideration. All U.S. veterans are eligible, whether they served in combat zones or non-combat zones, stateside or were deployed overseas.

Plans are now underway for two or three Honor Flights in 2027, beginning next spring.  The priority now is to encourage more Vietnam-era veterans to apply. For a variety of reasons, many are hesitant to go.  However, those who do experience an Honor Flight say they find it highly rewarding.  There are 58,281 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington, D.C., including eight women. Many Vietnam-era veterans visiting the wall find the names of people they knew. The heart-felt welcome home is a high point for many Vietnam-era vets who never had that experience when they returned home from service. 

For more information about volunteering and to apply as a veteran or guardian go to https://www.landoflincolnhonorflight.org. 

Karen Ackerman Witter went on a 2012 Honor Flight as guardian for her father, Raymond Ackerman, a WWII veteran. Her husband, Randy Witter, a Vietnam-era veteran, was on the Sept. 1 Honor Flight with their daughter, Dorothy Copfer, as his guardian