Ozark Honor Flight - April Editorial

First of all I would like to cover an event that I feel is very important to veterans. We have an incredible group of people and companies in Springfield that are giving of their time, talents and money to assist veterans that would like to visit their memorial (and other memorials) in Washington, DC. This wonderful endeavor is called Ozark Honor Flight and is part of the national group, but concentrates on WWII Veterans from this area. We have 3 Post 639 Members that will be on the next flight from the new Springfield airport, April 13, 2010. Tom Mabrey served during WWII as an Aviation Machinist Mate in the US Navy and served many years as our Finance Officer, Paul Marchi was also in the US Navy and spent time at sea in the South Pacific. Tom will be escorted by Mick Dunn also from Post 639. There will be a total of 76 Veterans and 76 Guardians on the flight. The charter flight costs $ 56,000 per flight and all costs are paid for the Veterans through sponsors and donations; however, the Guardians do pay $300 per flight. The major sponsor and media partner is KY3-TV. The next scheduled flight will be May 18, 2010 and additional tentative flights are scheduled for June, October and November, but with 600 Veterans that have filled out applications, that will still
carry over demand until 2011. For additional information go to their web site at www.ozarkshonorflight.com, we have a link on our post web site. Here is more information from their web site:
Taking Our War Heroes to See Their WWII Memorial
HeroesWorld War I – Korea – Vietnam: These 20th Century wars have had memorials in our nation's capital for years. But for some reason World War II was left out. That war didn't have its memorial until 2004.Time is of the Essence
We call them the Greatest Generation — the veterans of World War II. Their memorial is now complete, but with over one thousand World War II veterans dying each day, our time to express our thanks to these brave men and women is running out. Many will leave us without having had the chance to visit their place of honor.Honor FlightOzarks Honor Flight has one goal: to transport our veterans to Washington, D.C. so they can visit those memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices.Your RoleYour donation will help transport veterans to visit their memorials. Our top priority is our most senior heroes. World War II veterans waited patiently for over 60 years for a memorial that recognizes their service and accomplishments. The World War II Memorial also recognizes the ultimate sacrifices of their friends who never made it home. They all deserve this one last opportunity to visit America's "Thank You."Ozark Honor FlightMissionTo transport, in the safest and most timely means possible, military veterans of World War II to Washington DC to view their World War II Memorial and other commemorative sites with the highest degree of honor, respect and gratitude at no cost to the veteran.historyOzarks Honor Flight is a non-profit organization, founded in October 2009, in Springfield, Missouri. The founding members have assembled the talents and commitment of a group of people who share their love and respect for our veterans, dedicated people who are working to deliver on the promise of Honor Flight.