Honor Flight Northeast Indiana (HFNEI) will celebrate its 29th flight to Washington D.C. on Wednesday, September 19, 2018.
HFNEI Flight #29 is sponsored by Janet Geib, a retired Ivy Tech Professor who donated $80,000 to fund the entire flight. She states “I shudder to think what this country would be if it weren’t for those veterans who have gone before us, those present and future. Freedom means so much to me and more so after visiting many countries that are oppressed in some way. Learn, earn, and return–is a motto which I saw years ago and I try to live by. God bless the USA!
Participants on the flight will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Three veterans representing the eras of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam will participate in the ceremony along with Janet Geib.
Honor Flight #29 currently consists of a total of 84 veterans: 10 WWII veterans, 69 Korea veterans, 5 Cold War veteran and 5 Vietnam veterans. Veteran Agatha Tourney, age 95, was an Army nurse in WWII. Not including this flight, Honor Flight Northeast Indiana has sent a total of 2047 veterans to Washington.
Veterans and volunteer guardians will gather at the 122nd Fighter Wing of the Indiana Air National Guard at 5:30 a.m. with take-off projected to be at 7:30 a.m. Returning home, the community is encouraged to patriotically welcome the veterans in the Main Terminal of the Fort Wayne International Airport the evening of September 19. Return time is tentative, but expected to be at approximately 9:00 p.m. More information regarding the public’s participation and return timing will be shared on the group’s Facebook page at HFNEI.
Honor Flight Northeast Indiana President, Dennis Covert, states “We are extremely grateful for the very generous donation from Janet Geib which enables HFNEI to continue its mission to safely transport veterans to Washington, D. C. to view the memorials that were built in their honor.”
95% of all donations go directly towards the veterans’ trips. Honor Flight NE Indiana, Inc. is a volunteer, nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
If media are interested in joining us at the 122 FW on September 19, please RSVP with Staff Sergeant William Hopper, william.l.hopper10.mil@mail.mil or (260) 478-3314. Names, driver’s license numbers and date of birth will be needed for security purposes. Please have all media information, to include a specific time of arrival, to Staff Sergeant Hopper by 5 P.M. Friday, September 14.
