Southwest Florida Honor Flights resuming in May

Honor Flights, which sent veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit monuments in honor of them, were one of the many things the pandemic took away, but the Southwest Florida Honor Flights are about to make their triumphant return in May.

Every veteran onboard needs a guardian who acts as the veteran’s go-to person for the day, from helping them get on the airplane to walking them through the emotional process of the D.C. tour. Right now, it’s a challenge finding those guardians. Organizers say the main culprit is the financial burden the pandemic has placed on so many people. While Honor Flights are free for veterans, guardians have to pay $550 to offset the costs of the charter flight.

Meredith Zinn, president of Southwest Florida Honor Flights, says that is part of the reason they’re currently still searching for guardians.

“With the economy the way it is now, it has been somewhat difficult,” Zinn said. “That’s been our biggest challenge in having guardians sign up, because, you know, of what’s going on in the world… a potential guardian can go to our website, which is swflhonorflight.org, and their application is on the front page.”

On May 14, 186 people, including 85 veterans, will be on a flight from Punta Gorda Airport to Baltimore, before heading into Washington. D.C., where they’ll be honored. (Southwest Florida Honor Flights is not to be confused with Collier-Lee Honor Flights, which flies out of a different hub.) The flight will have six World War II veterans and will be the first Southwest Florida Honor Flight since the pandemic started.

Prior to 2022, Honor Flights flew right into D.C., but due to a prior contract, they’re now flying with Allegiant Airlines, which only flies into Baltimore. Certain monuments will thus only be viewed from the bus, but Zinn says it’s still going to be a day to remember.

“A couple of the monuments we will have to do drive-bys, such as the Air Force and Iwo Jima [monuments],” Zin said. “But we will spend a great deal of time at the World War II monument and then we will move on to the Korea, Vietnam and Lincoln memorials that are all together. We will spend a lot of time there, as well, because there’s a lot to see there.”

Zinn says when it comes to picking veterans for these Honor Flights, they look at age first; the oldest veterans may not be here next year and they want to make sure they get a chance to be honored at their respective memorials.