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It’s about paying tribute to those who have passed on. For some Lunenburg County veterans, the honor flight is also about remembering the past.

The Central and Southwest Virginia Honor Flight will run its 10th mission from April 4 to April 6. The group is currently scheduled to take two 100-year-old World War II veterans from this area and 17 who served during the Vietnam era. They’ll be traveling to Washington D.C. at no cost to the veterans involved. The trip will depart from the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford on Friday, April 4 at 10 a.m. and return to the D-Day Memorial on Sunday, April 6 at approximately noon. 

“The hub will be bringing area veterans to the war memorials created in their honor and will be the journey of a lifetime for many who were never properly thanked for their service,” said Central Honor Flight President Martin Leamy. 

The Honor Flight program was started in 2005 by Earl Morse, who was a physician’s assistant at a Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Ohio. As an Air Force veteran, he decided to fly down some of his patients who fought in World War II to see the new memorial in Washington, D.C. This initiative caught on and, along with Jeff Miller, started the Honor Flight Program.

This non-profit now has chapters across the country that provide the opportunity for veterans to see the various memorials and museums free of charge. That includes the Central and Southwest Virginia chapter

How the honor flight works

Each veteran is accompanied by a trained volunteer guardian whose mission is to assist the veteran in any way they can—by pushing wheelchairs, carrying belongings, or simply joining in a day full of celebration and reflection. While veterans’ trip costs are paid for in full, guardians are asked to donate $400 to cover their trip costs. Guardian applications are screened and accepted on a first come first served basis.

According to Leamy, this chapter doesn’t actually do a “flight” as the name implies. Due to being so close to Washington, D.C. this chapter does a bus trip as it is much easier and cost-effective due to their location. This chapter departs on two trips a year in October and April.

Leamy said that Honor Flight trips prioritize World War II and terminally ill veterans, with Korean and Vietnam service eras considered on a space available basis. Since 2005, the network has escorted 317,128 veterans to their memorials. Time is of the essence for WWII veterans. According to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 2024 statistics, just 66,143 of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II (.4%) are alive today. 2,121 of these are in Virginia.

If you want to become a guardian for a future flight or apply for a specific veteran to go on an honor flight, you can visit www.cswvirginiahonorflight.org.