The Mid-Michigan Honor Flight is recruiting WWII, Korean, and Vietnam War women veterans to participate in an exclusive all-female Honor Flight this summer. The trip, courtesy of the nonprofit service, will escort these veterans to Washington D.C. to visit memorials built in tribute to their valor, as reported by FOX 2. In a tribute to the Women's Armed Service Integration Act anniversary, the flight is scheduled for June 11-12, aiming to fill 150 open seats departing from Bishop International Airport.
The group's efforts not only aim to honor, but to acknowledge, the female veterans who might otherwise remain unseen. Guardians, crucial to the mission, will accompany the veterans, and those who did not serve in the specified wars are encouraged to apply, as per FOX 2. These companions will be part of a poignant experience; bringing together those whose service might till now have been spoken in softer tones or left to the silent precincts of history.
Lori Thume, Mid-Michigan Honor Flight treasurer, underscored the profound nature of the event in a statement to 9&10 News, stating, "No one gets what you went through than another woman or another veteran. So that’s a lot of what they really like when they get together with us is just reconnecting and reliving some of those memories,”
While the flight aims to fill 75 spots, WNEM reports that thus far they have signed up about half that number. A surged interest from younger female veterans willing to serve as guardians, however, reflecting a passage of torch, shows the reverence held for those who paved the way for subsequent generations.
Each trip is an expensive proposition, touting a price tag of about $150,000. The generosity of donors is vital to this undertaking, and contributions are being solicited to offset the costs. Additional flights for veterans of any gender are also planned throughout the year, offering further opportunities to honor the men and women of service, as FOX 2 highlighted.
As WNEM obtained from Thume, is that with successful execution, this all-female flight will not be a one-off. In her words, “Whether it was a desk job, whether it was being a nurse, whatever their job was, it’s important. Show them how much we appreciate their service,”
