Local funds given to aid honor flights

Decatur Daily Democrat:

The concept of "honor flights" to reward United States war veterans by giving them free airliner trips to visit memorial sites in Washington, D.C. began in 2004 with World War II vets and will be continued on behalf of Korean War and Vietnam War vets.

Bob Myer of Allen County, vice president of Honor Flights of Northeastern Indiana, made that known at a recent meeting in Decatur of seven local WW II vets who were on the fifth honor flight from the Fort Wayne region to the national capital.

Myer also received $5,000 in donations from local supporters and said that money means the sixth one-day honor flight, scheduled for October 4, is now fully paid for. Each flight costs $50,000 to $57,000, he said, including more than $47,000 just for the cost of the airliner.