VW DAR chapter hears about Honor Flight

The Isaac Van Wart Chapter DAR held its November meeting at the Elks Lodge.  The program was presented by Aleta Weiss, who is part of the Honor Flight Board.

According to Weiss, the hub of the Honor Flight Northeast Indiana flies directly from Fort Wayne, Ind., to Washington, DC, in one hour and fifteen minutes.  There have been 22 flights at the cost of $70,000 per flight.  All flights have been funded by individual and corporate contributions.  Motor coaches are waiting transport the veterans to the memorial stops throughout the day before flying them home the same evening.  On board the Honor Flight are veterans, volunteer nurses, a doctor, 75 wheelchairs, and an assigned guardian for each veteran.  Volunteers in Fort Wayne prepare the veterans’ boring meal before the flight, and the American Legion is on hand to cheer the veterans onto the plane.  On arrival home at the Fort Wayne International Airport, a crowd of children, bands, and family members are present to welcome the veterans.  Currently, there are approximately 700 veterans on the waiting list.  The Northeast Indiana branch has so far sent 1,500 veterans to Washington, DC.

Weiss added that for the past six years she and her husband provide a display of military uniforms, pictures, flags, and newspaper articles at their home furnishing store on State Street in Willshire. Last year over 900 people visited the display, which currently has 150 military uniforms.