Honor Flight is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that honors military veterans (primarily World
War II veterans, and veterans who are terminally ill) by flying them to Washington, D.C., to see
military memorials (especially the World War II Memorial). All expenses for the veterans are covered by
donations.
Honor Flight was started in 2005 by Earl Morse, a retired Air Force captain and physician’s assistant
from Springfield, Ohio. Honor Flight has taken approximately 30,000 veterans to Washington and currently
has 86 "hubs" in 33 states.
Northwest Ohio Honor Flight was founded in late-2007 by Dee Pakulski, who currently serves as president,
veteran coordinator and flight director.
In the first two flying seasons (2008 and 2009), Northwest Ohio Honor Flight proudly flew 339 veterans to
Washington with a 100 percent safety record! Flights in 2009 took place on May 27, July 29, Sept. 16,
and Oct. 14. (Flights are not scheduled during the winter months.) Northwest Ohio Honor Flights depart
from (and return to) the Grand Aire hangar, west of the main terminal at Toledo Express Airport.
Non-veterans can help with Honor Flights in the following ways:
(1) By being a "guardian" for a veteran. This includes being an "escort" for the
veteran – helping him/her on and off the plane, on and off the buses, touring the memorials, interacting
with and getting to know the other veterans, etc. But it means even more – making sure the entire day is
a memorable one, and seeing to the veteran’s safety and well-being. Guardians pay their own expenses for
the day.
(2) By being a "driver" – picking up a veteran at his/her home early in the morning and driving
him/her to the terminal by 5:45 a.m. for breakfast and "send off" events; and/or driving a
veteran home after the evening "welcome home" festivities, which go from approximately 9 to 10
p.m.
(3) By being part of the early morning activities – helping with breakfast, check in, send off and
assistance with setup and take-down of tables and chairs.
(4) By being part of the evening activities – the "welcome home" celebration that includes
cheering the veterans, thanking them for their military service, etc. – both on the tarmac and in the
hangar.
(5) By initiating, promoting, and participating in fundraising activities. Examples of fundraising groups
are schools, sports teams, businesses, service organizations and Red Hat societies. Fundraising efforts
require pre-approval by NWO Honor Flight’s Board of Directors.
(6) By "spreading the word" – making military veterans aware of the Honor Flight program, and
letting other interested people know about ways in which they can assist with Honor Flight.
Honor Flight is a wonderful organization and a wonderful experience for everyone involved with the
program.
For further information, see the following Web sites: www.honorflightnwo.org/ (Northwest Ohio Honor
Flight) www.honorflight.org/ (Honor Flight in general)