Flight Plans

On April 29, 2004, the National World War II Memorial opened to the public to honor the 16 million Americans who fought for freedom in history’s greatest conflict. The tribute, with its statuesque, granite pillars and sweeping arches, bronzed eagles and inspirational inscriptions, is a stunning and stately sight.

It is just unfortunate that those who deserve to see it most may never have the chance.

According to recent statistics, America is losing 1,200-1,500 World War II veterans a day because of age and illness. For those same reasons, along with the fixed incomes of retirement, it has become difficult, if not impossible, for living veterans to travel to Washington to see their memorial.

That is exactly why Earl Morse, an Ohio physician’s assistant and retired Air Force captain, established Honor Flight, an organization that raises funds and facilitates flights to the memorial for World War II veterans. From the first flight in 2005, which took 12 war heroes to see their monument, this grassroots effort has grown to include a network of participating programs in 30 states. And soon, Marion County World War II veterans may have their chance to board an Honor Flight, thanks to the determination of Rose Clements.

“I first heard about Honor Flight on ‘CBS Sunday Morning,’” said Clements, whose late father was a World War II veteran. “They did a segment on it, where they committed to send every World War II Veteran who lived in Henderson, North Carolina to the memorial, and they got every one of them up to the memorial. When I saw that, I just knew that I would like to do it [in Marion County]. When I saw the emotion in their faces — it was just overwhelming to me.”

So Clements is now taking the steps to create an Honor Flight Hub in Marion County, working daily to satisfy the requirements of the national organization. In addition to the inevitable paperwork, Clements had to find a fiscal agent to collect money for the local organization before she could actually start raising funds. Recently, Benny Bachand, State Director of the Florida Veterans of Foreign Wars Department, stepped up to claim the position.

Next, Clements and company must recruit volunteers, establish a board of directors and, of course, raise the money. To help her accomplish these goals — the most pressing being the Board of Directors — Clements has enlisted the help of Toni James, an experienced local fundraiser best known for her work with non-profits like the United Way.

“Hopefully, [the board] would be made up of people who are familiar with veterans and organizations with veterans,” Clements said. “I don’t feel like there’s going to be any problem getting other veterans’ organizations involved because I’ve done presentations and gone to meetings to talk about Honor Flight, and everyone just wants to be involved. We’re trying to get as many board of directors as we can, and we’re going to have bi-monthly meetings and talk about this until it is accomplished.”

Gathering a good pool of volunteers is also key to getting Honor Flight off the ground. An unusually high number of veterans live in Marion County — approximately 9,000. All veterans interested in participating will have to fill out an application and prove their service in World War II, so just imagine the towering stacks of paperwork. And then, of course, there is the task of physically getting those veterans to the memorial. Clements said she is hoping to charter one-day flights in and out of the Ocala Airport that would fly directly to Washington D.C. with no stops or connecting flights.

“We want to make sure that when we have this flight leave from Ocala that we give the veterans a big send off,” Clements said. “Then, once they get there, Honor Flight has buses that will take them to the memorial, so we have to figure in whether some of the veterans might need oxygen, or if they might need wheelchairs. They might need a companion or someone to help them. So all that needs to be taken into consideration.”

Clements has also been in contact with a former Delta pilot, who has been looking into chartering flights through Delta and other airlines coming into Ocala. One thing is certain though: the veterans will not be responsible for one cent of the bill.

“Honor Flight is very adamant about that because they feel like the veterans have given enough,” Clements said. “And I agree. Just to give you a ballpark: For about $75,000, we take about 175 veterans, unless we can get a bigger flight. But that all depends on the donations. It depends on so many things.”

Once Marion County becomes an Honor Flight Hub, and the project gets a little further along, a representative from the national organization, Buddy Johnson, will likely come to Ocala and talk to local groups about the history, policies and standards of Honor Flight.

Johnson, a Vietnam vet, started his own Honor Flight Hub in Valdosta, Ga. after reading about the organization in a newsletter. His success is encouraging: He attended a summit on the program in Washington D.C. in February 2007, and by May 2008, he had arranged to fly Valdosta’s first set of veterans to the memorial. Since then, Johnson’s Hub has raised $200,000, flying 310 vets to the memorial. Johnson is now the South East regional director for Honor Flight.

“It’s hard to explain how deeply they feel when they see the memorial for the first time,” Johnson said. “In some cases, it changes their lives. I’m enthusiastic about Rose and getting a hub started in Marion County because time is running out to thank [these veterans]. They really did save the world, and we need to show our appreciation.”

For those interested in helping establish an Honor Flight Hub in Marion County, Clements is seeking volunteers and supporters. Call 352-304-6987 for more information. Learn more about the national Honor Flight organization by visiting www.honorflight.org.

Allison Wilson is a freelance writer and editor living in Ocala.