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Honor Flight Rochester Welcomes Home Veterans on Father’s Day
Mission 54 returns with 59 veterans on June 18
On Sunday, June 18, Honor Flight Rochester (HFR) will welcome home 59 veterans as part of Mission 54. This will be HFR’s third mission of 2017.
Among the ranks of veterans on Mission 54 roster are:
- 35 Korean War
- 11 World War II
- 4 Korean War/Cold War
- 3 World War II/Korea
- 3 Cold War
- 2 Vietnam War
- 1 Cold War/Vietnam War
These veterans served in the U.S. Army (33), the U.S. Navy (10), the U.S. Air Force (7), the U.S. Marines (5), the U.S. Army Air Corps (3), and the U.S. Coast Guard (1).
The two-day HFR trip to Washington D.C. to visit the nation’s memorials is free to all honored veterans. Flights are possible through community gifts and contributions. Veterans are encouraged to register for their honor flight at honorflightrochester.org. Paper applications are also available.
DEPARTURE DATE: Saturday, June 17 – Honor Flight Rochester Mission 54 departs the Greater Rochester International Airport at 6:25 a.m. The veterans and their guardians arrive at 4 a.m.
RETURN DATE: Sunday, June 18, 2017
FLIGHT: Southwest Airlines Flight #2973
RETURN FLIGHT ARRIVAL TIME: 12:40 p.m.
PUBLIC WELCOME CELEBRATION: Approximately 1:10 p.m. after all veterans disembark the plane
WHERE: Greater Rochester International Airport
EMCEE: Adam Chodak, Anchor and Managing Editor, WROC-TV 8
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Mike Giardino, Director of Aviation, Greater Rochester International Airport and retired U.S. Navy Commander
NATIONAL ANTHEM: Pete Dupre
COLOR GUARD: Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 20
MUSIC: Fairport Fire Department
HONOR GUARD: Patriot Guard Riders (pgrny.org).
Honor Flight Rochester (www.honorflightrochester.org) – one of 135 established hubs in 42 states the national Honor Flight Network – is a not-for-profit, fully-volunteer organization with a goal of taking every World War II, Korean War, or Vietnam War veteran from the Greater Rochester area who otherwise would or could not go, to visit and reflect together at Washington D.C. Memorials built in their honor. The two-day HFR trip is free to all World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and veterans who served during the years 1947 – 1964 (“Cold War”). It’s also open to veterans of any era who suffer a catastrophic illness. Rochester’s flying season is April to October. To date, 2,531 veterans have now flown from the Greater Rochester area since the local organization began full-scale flights in early 2009.
