HONOR FLIGHT - our way of paying a small tribute to those that gave so much; to take a memorable, safe, and rewarding FLIGHT with HONOR!!!

Sometimes we're asked "Why Honor Flight?".  "Dr. Sam" says it best!
The Veterans of World War II are currently dying at the rate of approximately 1,200 per day.  Of all of the wars of the 20th century, World War Two truly threatened our very existence as a nation and as a culturally diverse, free society. Samuel R. Bierstock "Dr. Sam" has written "Before You Go" as a profoundly heartfelt "Thank You" and tribute to the men and women who fought this worst and greatest of wars on our behalf, and who truly saved our lives and our way of life.

We have not thanked them enough!

Honor Flight is a non-profit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices.  We are asking the public’s support to help make this trip possible for these veterans who saved the world … before it’s too late.  Time is not on our side. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs and Arlington National Cemetery statistics, about 1,200 WWII Veterans pass away EACH DAY.  The youngest WWII Vet is 80 years old. In another 5 to 10 years, most WWII Veterans will be gone.  Unfortunately, Honor Flight receives no corporate or government sponsorship. Honor Flight is funded solely by public donations.

Honor Flight first flew in May 2005 with six small planes flying 12 WW II veterans, departing out of Springfield, Ohio.  In 2006, with a waiting list of veterans expanding rapidly, they transitioned to commercial airline carriers to accommodate the maximum number of veterans as possible.  Partnering with HonorAir in Hendersonville, North Carolina and Hero Flight in Provo, Utah, they formed the “Honor Flight Network"

The program has aggressively expanded to other cities across the nation in 2007 including Rochester, Minnesota serving Southeast Minnesota, Western Wisconsin and Northern Iowa.  The one-day trip is open to all WWII veterans.  Veterans are escorted and cared for by guardians (volunteers) who accompany them as they visit the WWII, Iwo Jima, Korean, Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials.  All expenses are provided at no cost to the WW II veterans.  The guardians pay their own way.  Honor Flight has safely transported over 5,000 veterans to our nation’s capitol.  Honor flight will continue to do whatever it takes to fulfill the dreams of our veterans and, very importantly, our senior heroes travel absolutely free.

They have given us a free world.  Now it’s our turn to pay them back.

Please consider a donation to sponsor our units’ WW II Veterans.  The cost to send a veteran is $550.00 per Veteran.  Any amount that you can afford will be greatly appreciated.  This is a small way for us to say thank you to a generation that has given so much that can never be repaid. Subsequent to the WW II veterans, efforts will then focus on our Korean and then Vietnam veterans, honoring them similarly.

Our way of paying a small tribute to those that gave so much;
to take a memorable, safe, and rewarding FLIGHT with HONOR!!!

Honor Flight National Headquarters

Honor Flight Rochester, MN

* When interacting with any website, we encourage you to read the posted privacy statement as you will be subject to the their privacy policies.  While we support the protection of privacy on the Internet, the American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, and Sons of the American Legion Post 40 cannot be responsible for the actions of third parties.

Frequently asked questions

WWII veterans interested in going on the trip, or those wishing to be guardians or volunteers, Application Forms are available at the Lanesboro American Legion, by contacting either Harry Kerr at (507) 281-0416, Ted Adams at (507) 282-2449 VFW, Peter Mathias at (507) 251-4557 in Rochester, MN or the Honor Flight National Office (937) 521-2400 in Springfield, Ohio

It is our goal to get ALL WW II Veterans (including those who may not be Legion members) to fill out an application NOW.   Applications are accepted on a first come basis.  Vets that get an approved application in now will hopefully get on the next flight.

Download or print application forms by clicking on one of the following.  You will need to use your back button in your browser to return to this website after you have printed your application.

 http://honorflight.org/apply        WW II Veteran Application          Guardian Application         Volunteer Application

To make a donation, please make your tax deductible check payable to one of the following:

WW II Veterans who have participated in Honor Flight .. Please submit photographs, stories and comments that you would like to share to webmaster@lanesboroamericanlegion.org.  *Please make sure to include names, dates, and a brief caption with photos.

Thank you for your help and support!

Updated 01/07/2013