Honor Flight vets ready for trip

The Phillips AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary Post 50 held its annual fall breakfast meeting on Sept. 9, where they honored the five Vietnam Era veterans and the one Korean Era veteran who will take part in the next Never Forgotten Honor Flight to tour Washington, D.C. war memorials on Sept. 23,

The vets will get to visit the various war monuments that were built in their honor in Washington D.C., said AMVETS President Dolores Gradinjan.

The Vietnam Era veterans who will be going on the Honor Flight include Jerald Clark, of Butternut; Vincent Franzen, of Park Falls; Ronald Herbst, of Park Falls; John Meyer, of Ogema; Dennis Reichert, of Ogema. The Korean Era veteran participating is Louis Vokurka, of Phillips.

AMVETS fundraisers and monetary donations from the Butternut American Legion Post 273, paid the $3,000 in transportation and lodging fees for the veterans going on the September trip. The Phillips Helping Hands Quilting Club was present at the breakfast meeting to present each Honor Flight veteran with a lap size patriotic commemorative quilt.

The Honor Flight itinerary is designed to recreate some of the experiences that are common to veterans of all branches of service. This includes the familiar mail call on the return flight, which replicates the experience of receiving mail while on active duty.

For the Honor Flight, the veterans will receive cards and letters from well-wishers who want to thank a veteran and will recreate the experience of the serviceman or woman hearing their names called to announce that they have mail.

To send a card or letter for the Honor Flight mail call, address it to the veterans name, care of Never Forgotten Honor Flight, 225780 Rib Mountain Drive #780 Wausau, WI 54401.