Honor Flight initiative for vets deserves support

I am one of a planeload of World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans who were fortunate enough to be invited on a oneday airplane trip to Washington, D.C. by the Honor Flight South Florida, a non-profit volunteer organization.

The April 14 trip was the most coordinated and organized event I have ever attended, and I have yet to meet a single veteran who has made this trip who didn’t consider it a once-in-a-lifetime memorable event.

But the purpose of this letter is not to regale you with the events of the day, but rather to impress upon your readers why this worthy organization needs public support.

Unlike some non-profits, this organization is strictly run by volunteers and when you consider the manpower needed to hold one of these flights — each veteran has a guardian who is responsible for his or her well-being for the entire day from 4 a.m. until 8 p.m. — to bus, police, airport and federal park service personnel, in addition to the costs for bus, plane, food and all incidentals, you can well understand the challenge of each flight.

What is especially amazing is that there are no salaries and the only fixed expense of this organization is the cost of post office box rental. It receives no federal funds and must rely on fundraising to sponsor these trips. That is why I believe it is so important that everyone make an attempt to financially support them. They are dedicated to honoring our veterans from all wars and contribute greatly to the mental well-being of our heroes.

I wish to publicly thank the organization and especially my guardian for the day, Sherry Woodhouse.

I urge everyone to contribute whatever they can afford to this worthy cause. The number of trips and veterans they can afford depends entirely on the success of their fundraising.