Any resident can sign up to take on Honor Flight

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Honor Flight, www.honorflight.org, is a national organization dedicated to sending World War II vets to Washington, D.C., to see the memorial created in their honor.

Whiteside County is the only Sauk Valley county to have an organized Honor Flight chapter, but that doesn’t mean a Lee or Ogle County vet can’t go on an Honor Flight.

All a World War II veteran or potential guardian needs to do is sign up. Applications are available through Honor Flight of the Quad Cities.

Whiteside County Honor Flight was formed to work with the Quad Cities Hub, and to help move Whiteside County veterans up the list, which is about 2 years long.

Money raised by the Whiteside chapter helps send Whiteside veterans. About 140 county  veterans are eligible, Bob Van De Velde estimates.

Richard Day of Oregon is commander of the Oregon VFW post. Not having an organized chapter didn’t stop him from going on a flight. As a guardian, he helped three World War II veterans apply for a trip, and he went on an Honor Flight through the Chicago hub in May.

“It doesn’t have to be anything real formal,” Day said. “You just deal directly with Honor Flight.”

Honor Flight of the Quad Cities takes applications for people within an 80-mile radius. Chicago Honor Flight is generally for people who live east of I-39.

To apply for a Quad Cities Honor Flight, visit www.honorflightqc.com or call 563-388-3271.

To apply for a Chicago flight, visit honorflightchicago.org or call 773-227-8387.

To donate

To help send a World War II veteran to Washington, D.C. on an Honor Flight, send donations to:

■ United Way of Whiteside County, 502 First Ave.

■ Sauk Valley Chamber of Commerce, 211 Locust St.

■ American Legion, 601 First Ave.

■ Ward, Murray, Pace and Johnson, 202 E. Fifth St., all in Sterling, IL 61081.

Make checks payable to Honor Flight of the Quad Cities.

Click to view The Vets of Honor Flight main page

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