Honor Flight looking for WWII veterans for possible trip

Organizers of Honor Flight Southeastern North Carolina are attempting to gauge interest from World War II veterans to determine if another flight should take place.

Three flights have taken off from the Coastal Carolina Regional Airport in New Bern, flying the veterans up to Washington, D.C., free of charge to view the World War II Memorial constructed in their honor. The day also includes tours of other memorials in Washington, including the Korean and Vietnam memorials as well as the Air Force and Marine Corps memorials.

"Each trip has been successful with our veterans raving about their experience," said Hank Gotard, one of the organizers of the flight as well as veterans service officer in Carteret County.

In the past, the flight has had room for 108 veterans. Organizers are just trying to determine if there would be enough World War II veterans willing to go on the flight to justify a fourth trip.

World War II veterans interested should call the Carteret County Veterans Services Office weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (252) 728-8440 by Feb. 15. Veterans can also email VetAdm@carteretcountygov.org. Veterans should leave their names and contact information.

"We are planning this journey to be a trip of a lifetime, and in turn, to provide each participant with a great memory," Gotard said.

In the past, Honor Flights have sought guardians from the community to help assist the veterans in the trip, including helping to push wheel chairs and boarding the airplane. Should this flight garner enough interest, organizers are allowing a son, daughter, grandchild or other family member to act as guardians. Guardians do pay their own way on the flight.

During the last Honor Flight on Sept. 21, more than 90 people volunteered to serve as guardians.

"Honor Flights just wouldn’t happen if it were not for our guardians," Gotard said of the volunteers. "Patriotism is certainly alive and well in Eastern North Carolina."

Organizers are not yet ready to begin accepting donations for the flight, as they are trying to figure out if enough veterans will express interest in the trip. Previous flights have needed $60,000 to get off the ground, and donations have poured in from businesses, civic organizations and individuals to make each flight possible.

Honor Flight Southeastern North Carolina is part of the national Honor Flight Network, which was founded in 2005. The Honor Flight Network has flown more than 81,000 World War II veterans from across the United States to Washington, D.C., to view their memorial.