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Honor Flight works to convince reluctant veterans to take the trip of a lifetime
WSAW
By Madison Maronde
One-third of veterans need to be convinced to go on the Never Forgotten Honor Flight, according to co-founder Jim Campbell.
Campbell said because of this, he has a list of the five most common reasons veterans decline the trip: “I don’t deserve it,” “I’ve been to D.C. before,” “I have a medical condition,” “I’m angry,” or “I don’t want to relive my experiences.”
Campbell said veterans can still go despite these concerns. But he doesn’t want to undermine those reasons, which is why he makes sure not to call them excuses. In a pamphlet he has, he also offers rebuttals for each point.
Campbell said everyone who goes on the flight is glad they went. “It not only changes the veteran’s life profoundly, it affects the family, especially the spouse, the circle of friends, entire communities,” Campbell said.
Campbell has thousands of stories of the healing he’s seen from these flights.
A sixth reason that isn’t on the list but that Campbell said is a genuine concern is many veterans worry there won’t be enough bathrooms. He wants to remind people that at every point on the trip, they aren’t far from a bathroom.
Campbell also said that ‘Never Forgotten’ flights are like no other.
Government shutdown forces Quad Cities veterans to adjust Honor Flight plans
The government shutdown reached its 28th day this morning, forcing the Honor Flight of the Quad Cities to adjust its long-planned trip to Washington, D.C.
Organizers said the flight was scheduled a year in advance, with charter buses, planes and applications arranged well before the shutdown began. But with federal funding halted, several attractions are closed, pushing the group to make changes.
The National Air and Space Museum — one of 21 Smithsonian museums now down — was on the group’s original itinerary. Instead, the 86 veterans and their chaperones will focus on visiting outdoor memorials that are still accessible without tour guides, such as the 9/11 and Marine Corps memorials.
“[The shutdown is] just a hurdle we have to go over. Every time you do anything in the military, there are hurdles to go over. This is just one,” said Stephen Garrington, director of Honor Flight of the Quad Cities.
KFVS 12
Olivia Tock
MARION, Ill. (KFVS) – On Saturday, the Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois was presented with a check to fully fund its next flight.
According to a release from the organization, Gary Nelson, a McLeansboro, Illinois native and Vietnam veteran, applied to fly with the Veterans Honor Flight in 2018. In February of last year, he received the call to join them on the Mission 12 flight on May 7, 2024. “It was the highlight of my life,” Nelson said. And after this opportunity, Nelson felt he needed to do something to help other veterans experience the flight. So Nelson, working with Randy Rubenacker of Rocking for a Cause and Bill Bonan of Peoples National Bank, worked to fully fund an upcoming Honor Flight.