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Honor Flight flies into 2008
Paul Leavy/The Valdosa Daily Times
VALDOSTA — 2007 opened with few people ever having heard of the term “Honor Flight.” 2008 opens with Honor Flight South Georgia being a familiar organization that last year sent more than 200 area World War II veterans to visit their memorial in Washington, D.C., and is preparing for a third journey in the coming months.
Approximately 125 World War II veterans are registered for a third Honor Flight South Georgia trip, says “Buddy” Johnson, local Honor Flight coordinator. The third trip is tentatively scheduled for a Saturday in May. An exact date should be scheduled in the coming weeks as organizers negotiate a chartered plane for the trip.
Total donations are estimated at roughly $170,000 since the Honor Flight campaign began in March 2007, Johnson says. More than $120,000 of that total paid for the first Honor Flight South Georgia trip last May and the second one in August.
The majority of the monetary donations have come from Valdosta-Lowndes County individuals, organizations, governments and businesses, while the flights have been open to any World War II veteran from throughout South Georgia and North Florida. Johnson and other Honor Flight organizers have been visiting groups in Moultrie, Tifton, Alma, Warner Robbins, Nashville, and other South Georgia locations, raising funds for the trips.
Yet, this time last year, not only had very few people in South Georgia ever heard of Honor Flight, “Buddy” Johnson had no idea how it would impact 2007 for him and thousands of other local people.
Locally, it was Bert Powell who saw television news reports about Honor Flight programs in other parts of the nation, and thought South Georgia should try doing the same thing. In January 2007, Powell, a World War II veteran and member of the local chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, approached Johnson, the local MOAA president, about Honor Flight.
Johnson became committed as soon as Powell showed him recordings of the Honor Flight news broadcasts. They contacted the national Honor Flight organization and were invited to a national summit last February in Washington, D.C.
By early March, Honor Flight South Georgia was born sponsored by MOAA and American Legion Post 13. At that same time, The Valdosta Daily Times joined as an Honor Flight sponsor.
Within a little more than two months, Powell, Johnson and a dedicated staff of non-paid volunteers had registered more than 100 World War II veterans (who do not have to pay a cent to take the one-day trip), had registered dozens of Guardians (who must pay $300 for the honor of assisting a few to several World War II veterans), had raised more than $100,000, and was making the first trip to see the World War II Memorial, Arlington national cemetery and other sites in Washington, D.C.
More than 100 World War II veterans also traveled on the second Honor Flight South Georgia trip in August.
This February, an Honor Flight South Georgia contingent will participate in the annual summit offering insight to other communities throughout the United States starting similar programs for their World War II veterans. National figures show that Honor Flight programs nationwide carried approximately 5,000 World War II veterans to the D.C. memorial in 2007. Honor Flight programs are expected to transport an estimated 10,000 World War II veterans nationwide in 2008.
As for Honor Flight South Georgia, the third trip in May could be the last regional journey, Johnson said, depending on the number of additional area veterans registering as well as the financial support of the surrounding communities.
HONOR FLIGHT
• South Georgia chapter of the Military Officers Association of America is sponsoring South Georgia Honor Flight, with the local American Legion Post 13 serving as the fiscal entity.
• DONATIONS: Tax deductible donations may be sent to: American Legion Post 13, P.O. Box 1005, Valdosta, Ga. 31603.
• TO REGISTER A WORLD WAR II VETERAN, to become a Guardian volunteer, or to schedule a presentation for your organization, please call (229) 219-7281; or (229) 219-7213.
• VISIT The Valdosta Daily Times Web site (www.valdostadailytimes.com) for more on Honor Flight.
