GRAND FORKS – Another Veterans Honor Flight out of Grand Forks is planned for Oct. 15-17, according to Don Roberts, a local organizer for the program.
Veterans in the northern Red River Valley are strongly encouraged to apply for a seat on the Veterans Honor Flight of North Dakota and Minnesota, Roberts said. The flight will take them on the all-expenses-paid trip to see war memorials and other historic landmarks in Washington, D.C.
Applications are also being accepted for an Honor Flight out of Fargo, which is planned for April 30-May 2.
Veterans can choose which flight they prefer, Grand Forks or Fargo, said Roberts, who, along with his wife, Betty, have been long-time ardent fundraisers for the Grand Forks-based flights.
Roberts and other representatives of the Veterans Honor Flight of North Dakota and Minnesota will be on hand at the Grand Forks Men’s Show on Friday-Sunday, Feb. 17-19, at the Alerus Center, to answer questions and help vets get signed up.
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All service-members, from all branches of the U.S. military and the National Guard, are eligible to apply, Roberts said. Veterans who served during World War II, Korean war and the Vietnam era are eligible. Priority is given to the oldest veterans and vets with serious health conditions or terminal illness.
Each veteran may be accompanied by a family member.
Dozens of volunteer escorts, who help with wheelchairs and other special needs, and health professionals will accompany the group, as they have on past flights. In Washington, D.C., hotel accommodations, transportation, food and refreshments on the buses, and bottled water at the landmarks are provided without charge to the vets.
Fundraising for this fall’s flight from Grand Forks is on-going and “all donations are appreciated,” Roberts said.
“I would love to see a flight out of Grand Forks every year,” he said.
Last year was the first time in 13 years that a flight had gone out of Grand Forks, said Jane Matecjek, president of the Veterans Honor Flight of ND/MN. The cost to send each vet on the Honor Flight is about $1,600, she told the Herald last fall.
About 115 veterans are expected to participate in the upcoming Grand Forks flight — roughly the same as last September, Roberts said.
Last year, veterans were given an enthusiastic send-off, and an even grander welcome home — complete with a band, banners and a crowd of hundreds — at the Grand Forks International Airport.
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Letters have been sent to regional American Legion and VFW posts to spread the word about the upcoming flights and encourage vets to sign up, Roberts said.
“The most important thing is getting your name on the list,” he said. “The sooner your name is on the list, the better your chances of going.”
Information and application forms can be obtained at https://www.veteranshonorflightofndmn.org/ or by calling (218) 284-6667.
For more information, contact Roberts at (701) 746-8261.
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