ST. LOUIS – Fifty-eight World War II, Korea, and Vietnam veterans will be flying from Lambert Airport to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, November 1.
This will become only the second Honor Flight in the country to fly 100 missions.
These veterans will be taking a chartered plane to see the memorials that have been built to honor their service sacrifice. They’ve got a full day in store as they started gathering at Lambert Airport at 3:30 a.m.
They’ll visit the Vietnam Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial. The Marine Corps Memorial (also known as the Iwo Jima Statue), and the Air Force Memorial will be visited as well.
They will also witness the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery. Four of the veterans will place a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier.
The Greater St. Louis Honor Flight is part of the nationwide Honor Flight Network, with 129 hubs who, together, have flown over 250,000 veterans. Over 2,700 of them have been taken from St. Louis.
Several civilian and military dignitaries are expected to greet the veterans on this historic flight while they’re in D.C. They’ll return to Lambert around 8:00 p.m.