The third Kansas Honor Flight of the year will depart from Wichita Eisenhower National Airport at 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, carrying four World War II veterans and 21 Korean War veterans to Washington, DC. The veterans and their guardians are flying on Southwest Airlines, a major sponsor of the Kansas Honor Flight Organization.

The veterans will enjoy a two-night stay in the nation’s capital, where the group will visit the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veteran’s Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial Wall. In addition, they will visit the Lincoln Memorial, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Iwo Jima Memorial, and have a driving tour by other landmarks. This will be the first trip this year that will finish the tour with a flag ceremony at Ft. McHenry where Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner during the War of 1812.

The public is invited to participate in the festive welcome home celebration on Friday. The veterans will return on Southwest Airlines flight 576 scheduled to arrive at 11:10 a.m. Free parking and shuttle service is available at the Best Western Airport Inn, 6815 W. Kellogg. Shuttle service starts at 10 a.m.  More information is available at www.kansashonorflight.org.

The trip has been organized by Kansas Honor Flight, Inc. The mission of Honor Flight is to transport America's veterans to Washington, DC to visit the memorials at no cost to them, with current priority to WWII Veterans, then Korean War Veterans and Vietnam War Veterans. Guardians, who pay their own travel expenses, accompany each veteran to ensure safe travel. Contributions from the public help fund the trips. Please visit www.kansashonorflight.org to find more information regarding this all-expense paid trip.

The trips are made possible through the cooperation and coordination of Southwest Airlines, TSA, ABM Parking, HMS Host, and Wichita Airport Authority staff.