First Coast Honor Flight Inc., a member of the nationwide Honor Flight Network, will conduct its inaugural honor flight on Saturday, Oct. 2. The public is invited to honor the 25 veterans participating in the flight as they prepare to depart from Jacksonville International Airport’s main terminal.
All are requested to wear masks and practice social distancing during the event in order to comply with national Honor Flight Network COVID-19 protocols.
The Honor Flight is a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Washington, D.C., at no expense to the veterans, to visit their memorials, exchange experiences with other veterans and reflect upon their service.
Saturday’s flight will include 25 honored veterans — one from WW II, seven from the Korean War and 17 from the Vietnam War, as well as 25 guardians and six Honor Flight staff members.
The public should arrive at the Jacksonville International Airport terminal, 2400 Yankee Clipper Drive, by 6 a.m. and gather in the main terminal near the upstairs information booth.
A formal send-off presentation will be held at 4:30 a.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel, followed at approximately 4:50 a.m. by a procession of the veterans, guardians and honor flight staff through the hotel lobby to buses providing transportation for the Honor Flight group to the Jacksonville International Airport terminal.
After a pause for private screening of the flight group near Southwest Airlines’ ticketing area at approximately 6:20 a.m., the procession will continue through the terminal, passing through a flag line manned by members of veteran groups to the TSA security checkpoint entry, at which point the procession will end.
Members of the public are also welcome to greet the veterans upon their return. Visitors should gather outside returning-passenger gate exit area inside the main airport terminal at 7:30 p.m.
At approximately 8 p.m., the Honor Flight group will return to the airport and proceed to waiting buses at the upper terminal level, with formal flight activities concluding upon arrival at the DoubleTree Hotel parking lot where the veterans will be reunited with their families.
First Coast Honor Flight is a member of the nationwide Honor Flight Network. Its mission is to take World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and critically ill veterans — at no expense to them — to visit their war memorials in Washington, D.C.
First Coast Honor Flight is a registered nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and has no paid employees. It is supported entirely by donations from individuals and corporations.
For further information, go to firstcoasthonorflight.org.
