THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2008
Memorial Flights
Honor Flight Chicago Program Offers Veterans Chance To Visit Washington War Memorials Free Of Charge
By DENISE FLEISCHER
Lifestyle Editor
Earl Morse, a physician assistant and retired Air Force Captain from Ohio, envisioned a program to honor military veterans he had taken care of for the past 27 years. His goal was to transport veterans to Washington, D.C. to be honored at the new World War II Memorial.
It began when he flew one of his patients to see the memorial. Shortly after, he considered this opportunity for other veterans and learned that physical and financial reasons would make the journey out of reach for many of them. With the growing interest of other veterans, Morse turned to an aero club, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Being a member of the club, he asked for help from the 150 members. He described the volunteer program and said that the veterans would not have to pay their trip's expenses. The pilots would pay for the aircraft rental and they would be responsible for escorting the veterans.
Honor Flight Network was founded on an idea and determination to see it through. It began with transporting 12 proud veterans. By the end of 2006, 891 World War II veterans had made the emotional visit. Why it's so important is because an average of 1,200 veterans die each day because of their age.
Suzanne Stanits, a Park Ridge resident and Des Plaines insurance agent, remembers when she first got involved.
"I became interested when my husband and I went to Washington, D. C. a year ago," said Stanits, secretary and co-founder of Honor Flight Chicago. "Walking from the Vietnam Memorial to the World War II Memorial we could hear music. So we hurried up there and heard the honor ceremony for about 100 veterans. We visited some of the people in charge and found out about the organization. I decided that I wanted to get my dad there so I did some research and was eventually put in touch with other people who had contacted the Ohio center and I became a co-founder."
"We just started the Chicago hub at the end of 2007," Stanits said. "Only had our first meeting, but have already had our first flight scheduled. The president and her daughter have a lot of resources.
The Inaugural flight for Honor Flight Chicago is slated for June 11. Both male and female veterans can apply on the Honor Flight website or fill out printed applications for the trip from Chicago Midway to Washington Dulles Airport. Funding will be provided through donations and fundraisers. Donations will be accepted from everyone but veterans. Walkers and wheelchairs are needed as well as guardians to act as escorts. The guardians are responsible for paying their own plane fare.
"We will be getting names for people who applied in Ohio on the national website," said Stanits. "We will be grouping them in the order received, however if someone is terminally ill they will be moved up the list. Our first flight has 99 veterans. We'll have three flights during the year. Just nailed down the first one and we're planning on continuing until we offer this trip to all of the Chicago veterans."
Applications are also be available at Stanits' office at 770 Lee St., suite 102 in Des Plaines.
On the day of their Honor Flight, tour busses will pick them up at Washington Dulles International Airport as soon as they disembark.
"They will be accompanied by their guardian. A video will be playing on the busses, discussing and showing the World War II Memorial. From there, they will be taken to Arlington National Cemetery. After a brief ceremony, they go back on the busses and travel to the World War II Memorial. They will have the opportunity to walk around and look at it. There will be a ceremony, music, box lunches and then dinner will be served on the plane on the way back to Chicago."
If time permits, the veterans will visit the Korean, Viet Nam and Iwo Jima memorials.
"My dad has his suitcase picked out and I went out and bought him a World War II jacket. He's ready to go," said Stanits.
For information about the national organization, Honor Flight Network, log on to www.honorflight.org. Additional information about Honor Flight Chicago is available at honorflightchicago.org.
Stanits and her husband, Rick, reside in Park Ridge. Suzanne has a son and daughter. She is originally from Minnesota.