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Honor Flights are returning to Dulles Airport.  If you would like to greet our WWII, Korean, and Vietnam veterans when they come to our Nation's Capitol for their day of honor, contact Doug Smith at patriotic15256@outlook.com for dates and times. 

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On the 25th of July, Honor Flight Network’s national headquarters gave the OK for the hubs to start flying their WWII, Korean, and Vietnam veterans to Washington, DC for their day of honor.  Greeters are needed to come to Dulles Airport for the arrival and departure of the flights. 

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Honor Flight Network Chicago and Dulles teams

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The Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. Flights transport our heroes (at no cost) to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect at their memorials. Top priority is given to the senior veterans – World War II survivors, along with those other veterans who may be terminally ill.

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Of all the wars in recent memory, it was World War II that truly threatened our very existence as a nation—and as a culturally diverse, free society.  According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an estimated 640 WWII veterans die each day.  Our time to express our thanks to these brave men and women is running out.  Flights are also carrying Korean and Vietnam veterans.

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Honor Flight Chicago and Dulles teams

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Being close to Dulles Airport affords us the opportunity to assist our veterans as they arrive and depart from the airport.  There are two main groups that support the arrival and departure of the Honor Flight participants – Chicago Honor Flight and Honor Flight at Dulles.  Both teams are made up of local volunteers who come to the airport whenever flights arrive or leave.  Chicago Honor Flights typically arrive on a Wednesday once a month, arriving in the morning and leaving that same evening.  The ground crew in bright orange shirts support these flights.  Honor Flight at Dulles supports flights that originate from any of the other 116 Honor Flight Network hubs across the country.  The ground crew in their bright yellow shirts handle these flights.

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Greeting at the airport

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The role of the ground crew is to get the veterans, their guardians, and the wheelchairs to and from their motor coaches.  To facilitate this, a corridor of greeters is created to guide the travelers through the airport concourse.  Greeters do just that – greet and thank the veterans for their dedication and service to our country.  Greeters are encouraged to wear patriotic attire, carry flags and banners, as well as clap and cheer as the veterans come by.  Groups from businesses and schools are encouraged to participate as part of their community outreach or service hour projects. 

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There is no cost to participate.  Dulles Airport has been generous in granting free parking to participants as long as the volunteers park in Garage 1 and take a ticket from the gate machine, check in with an Honor Flight volunteer upon arrival in the terminal, and use a supplied parking voucher ticket to exit Garage 1.

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To find out more about this year’s process for the Chicago Honor Flight program, go to the following link:

https://www.honorflightchicago.org/hfc-greeters-at-dulles-airport/

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To find out more about the Honor Flight at Dulles program, go to the following link:

https://heroeswelcomeiad.com/

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