Sibley, Iowa — Fifteen northwest Iowa veterans plan to go on an Honor Flight on Saturday.
Honor Flights are conducted by non-profit organizations dedicated to transporting as many United States military veterans as possible to see the memorials of the war or wars in which they fought. The flights are always at no cost to the veterans. Most of the veterans have been World War II veterans.
We talked to Osceola County Veterans Affairs Director Craig Sorensen. He says some Osceola County veterans took an Honor Flight a few years ago out of Sioux Falls, but since then, there haven’t been any nearby.
He says since there can be no cost to a veteran, other arrangements have to be made to pay for the trip.
There will be 95 veterans going on the flight out of Fort Dodge, says Sorensen, and 55 guardians. Medical staff including a doctor, three nurses and two EMT’s also go along.
Sorensen says he wants to thank the people of Osceola County for their generosity.
He says a sendoff is planned for the veterans the day before the flight.
The veterans will see the memorials in Washington D.C., they’ll have a bus tour of Washington, they’ll see Arlington National Cemetery, and they’ll witness the changing of the guard.
Sorensen encourages everyone to come out on Friday afternoon, September 18th at 1 PM, and send the veterans off to see their memorial.
