Next honor flight won’t be till 2010

By Justin Schuver (Contact) | Andalusia Star-News

Published Thursday, August 27, 2009

Covington Regional Honor Flight board president Tonitta Sauls said a future honor flight is planned for some time next year, but not this fall as was originally considered.

“We were thinking of trying to do our second flight in the fall,” she said. “But there are so many other events that time of year, like the United Fund drive, and there really isn’t time for the logistics of getting everything scheduled and all the money raised to do another this year. We decided instead to do our second flight in the spring.”

Covington County’s first Honor Flight in May gave more than 40 World War II veterans the opportunity to visit the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. The veterans took an early morning plane flight to the nation’s capital, visited the memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, and then returned home later that same day.

Sauls said next year’s honor flight will be open to not only World War II veterans, but also Korean War veterans. She added the board hopes to simplify travel arrangements for this future flight — in May, the veterans first traveled by bus to Pensacola, then took a short commuter plane flight to Atlanta before continuing on to Washington.

“We’re hoping that maybe we can arrange a flight out of the South Alabama Regional Airport,” she said. “Then we could hopefully fly into another airport and have a direct flight to Washington from there. That’s one of the things we’re working on right now, and hopefully we can find a way to make it happen.”

World War II veterans will have first priority on next year’s Honor Flight, followed by Korean War veterans. The flight is for veterans who did not have the opportunity to attend May’s Honor Flight.

“The only exception is if someone was a guardian on (May’s) honor flight, and is also a veteran of the Korean War,” Sauls said. “In that case, he or she would be allowed to attend as a veteran on this flight and go for free. The guardians on the first flight paid their own way.”

Those who are veterans of either war, or know a veteran of either war who is interested in applying for a seat on any honor flight, may pick up an application at the Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce office, contact Sauls at 334-493-3070, or contact any other CRHF board members, including Greg White, Pam Steele, Dwight Mikel, Robert Williamson and Ashley Eiland.

Those who wish to contribute to the travel expense may send tax-deductible contributions to: CRHF, c/o Covington County Commission, P.O. Box 188, Andalusia, AL 36420.