The 14th Veterans Memorial Flight from the Northern Panhandle to Washington, DC, leaves Chadron this morning with the veterans making the trip to visit sites in the nation’s capital that include the WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War Memorials.
The veterans, each accompanied by a companion called a Guardian and 2 overall chaperones, will travel by van or SUV in a caravan to Denver for the actual flight tomorrow. They will return on Sunday.
There is a Send Off ceremony at 9:00 at the Chadron American Legion that will include brief remarks, introduction of the veterans, patriotic music, and the presentation of Valor Quilts to two veterans.
The caravan will leave at 10:00, accompanied by local law enforcement vehicles and motorcycles from the Patriot Guard and American Legion Riders. Some of the riders will go all the way to Denver with other riders joining en route.
Chadron area residents are encouraged to find a spot along Bordeaux or 3rd Streets to wave to the veterans as they pass before heading south on Highway 385. Waving American flags is also encouraged.
The caravan will stop for lunch at the Elk’s Lodge in Scottsbluff, where there will be a program and a few more veterans will join the caravan. Over 150 people are expected to be lining the streets near the Elk’s club with large flags.
Although the non-profit that organizes the flights, Veterans Memorial Flight Inc, is based in Chadron, only 3 of this year’s veterans are from Dawes County: Carl Cousin of Chadron and Dennis Brott and Clayton Barker of Crawford.
     There are 6 from Box Butte County – Merle Spickelmier of Hemingford and Alliance residents Robert Kammerer, Bradley Moomey, Stan Feddersen, Donald Sheldon, and Donald Bartels.
     John Oliver and Roy Greenwalt are from Gering, Jesse Savala is from Lancaster, Robert Betancur from Morrill, Gene Peters from Sheridan, and Ivan Anslie, who will meet the other at the Denver Airport, is from Sturgis, SD.
The trips don’t cost the veterans or guardians anything, thanks to donations from businesses, organizations, and individuals- including local car dealerships which donate use of the vehicles for the caravan.
Anyone wishing to contribute can leave donations at the CPA office of George Klein, treasurer of Veterans Memorial Flight Inc, or the Dawes County Veterans Service office.
The Panhandle flights were begun over a decade ago by two Chadron men, businessman Rob Wahlstrom and attorney Marty Connealy, after they saw stories about the National Honor Flight program, created to take WWII veterans to the nation’s capital to see the then-new WWII Memorial.
Although the local group used the term Honor Flight for several years, neither the original informal group or the current non-profit are part of the national organization – although the local veterans do join the DC tours put on by Honor Flight.
The first several Northern Panhandle flights were all WW-II veterans, but the oldest on this flight served during the Korean War.
Most are Vietnam or Vietnam-era veterans, but one served in Desert Storm. 10 were in the U-S Army with 2 in the Navy and one each in the Air Force and Marine Corps.