January 16, 2012
Happy New year Honor Flight fans. 2012 Promises to be another banner year for OGHF.
Stay tuned for exciting news in the next few weeks. Better yet, "like" us on Facebook and keep your finger
on the Honor Flight pulse
August 30,
2011
Mission X is in the books and was a tremendous success. Much of that success is because
of the efforts of our friends at Dental Associates clinics in Appleton, Fond du Lac and Green Bay. They raised enough
money ($45,000) to fund each and every vet on the flight. Thanks DA for the generous gift.
Next flight is October 8th
August
10, 2011
Need a mattress? Don't buy one yet. During the month of
September, Verlo Mattress Stores in Green Bay and Sturgeon Bay will donate a portion of every sale to Old Glory Honor Flight.
Plus, get a free OGHF T-shirt for any in-store donation of $20 or more.
July
28, 2011
Mission IX is complete and was a spectacular success. Now it's back
to work; calls are now going out for Mission X on August 25th...here we go again
July 20, 2011
One week to Mission
IX from AirVenture in Oshkosh. Come on out and welcome the vets home at Conoco Phillips Plaza at 6:00 pm on Wendensday,
July 27th.
July 3, 2011
Announcing
All Wisconsin Day. October 8, 2011 will
be a major event with a major sponsor. On that date, three Wisconsin Honor Flight hubs will be transporting WWII veterans
to Washington DC . Old Glory Honor Flight will be joined by Stars and Stripes Honor Flight from the Milwaukee area and
Badger Honor Flight from the Madison area in the largest Honor Flight in Wisconsin history. Roundy's, a Wisconsin company,
has initiated a fund raising campaign through its Copp's and Pick 'N Save grocery stores. Join us in thanking Roundy's
for their efforts but we need more help. We need to continue our own efforts to raise funds, so let us know if you want
to help.
June 11, 2011
Mission
VIII is complete and it was another success. Because of the nearly unbearable heat (above 100 degrees for much of the
day), we were forced to adjust the itinerary to include a stop at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum at Dulles.
Everybody enjoyed the unscheduled stop and everybody enjoyed spending a couple of hours in air conditioned comfort.
The Board is energized and we look forward to three more flights in 2011. See you on July
27th at EAA.
May 12, 2011
Wow! What a problem to have; we are all filled up on Guardians for the foreseeable future.
Thanks to everyone for their interest in our program. Please check back frequently for news on the guardian list.
April 4, 2011
Don't forget Mission VII is this Thursday. Load up the family and join us at Outagamie County Regional Airport
for the welcome home celebration. Be at the airport by 8:30 pm on Thursday and enjoy the music of Swingtime as you wait
to give this group of heroes the welcome home they deserve.
March 24, 2011
Old Glory Honor Flight is proud to announce its brand new partnership with
the American Red Cross. ARC will offer volunteers to assist Old Glory Honor Flight with its flight operations beginning
with our upcoming April 7th Mission VII. ARC has also generously offered a financial grant to assist with the costs
of our preflight breakfast and our veteran comfort packs. Join us in thanking the American Red Cross for its generousity.
February 2, 2011
Once
again in 2011, Old Glory Honor Flight is teaming up with Kwik Trip to raise funds to support
our mission of ensuring that every World War II veteran gets the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. at no cost to visit
the memorials dedicated to their service and sacrifice. Between 2/18/2011 and 3/3/2011
Kwik Trip stores will be selling donation cards to raise much needed funds for Old Glory
Honor Flight. Because time is of the essence, Old Glory Honor Flight has set a very aggressive flight schedule for 2011
but we could not hope to succeed without the generous support of our corporate partners like Kwik
Trip. Please visit your local Kwik Trip Stores and give generously to our
very worthy effort. It is never too late to say 'thank you.'
January 4, 2011
Happy New Year! Please visit
the Celebrate Freedom 2011 page (click on the button to the left) and consider joining us for a unique celebration of the
American Spirit. Also, Table Sponsorships are available for $250. Please call us for detail on how you can get
involved with this event.
December 16, 2010
Communities First Credit Union and the Fox Cities Marathon presented Old Glory Honor Flight with a donation
check in the amount of $4500 to help us continue our work of ensuring that every World War II Veteran gets the opportunity
to see the National WWII Memorial in Washington DC. We thank the Marathon and Communities First Credit Union for their
kind donation.
December 7, 2010
Today is the 69th anniversary of the "Day That Will Live in Infamy." Please take a moment to remember
the servicemen that we lost at Pearl Harbor and take the time to say 'thank you' to a WWII veteran today.
December 1, 2010
Well,
the 2010 flight season has concluded and was a spectacular success. We completed an impressive five missions in 2010
and transported more than four hundred WWII vets to Washington. We are not done though. With more than 450 vets
on our waiting list, we are already gearing up for 2011. Stay tuned for future flight announcments.
Winter is also an opportunity for us to
make a push to raise the funds that will be necessary to start off 2011 with a bang. Coming up in March will be our
first annual Celebrate Freedom event. More details on this exciting event will be coming in the next week or two so
check back often.
August 24, 2010
Just over
a month since our epic flight from EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Old Glory Honor Flight returns to Appleton for its fourth mission
of 2010 and fifth mission overall.
Mission V will begin at the Outagamie County
Regional Airport at 6 AM next Tuesday. 89 World War II veterans along with 73 volunteer guardians will depart for Washington,
DC for a day trip of our Nation’s Capital. 13 of the veterans on this trip are over the age of 90 and 7 of those
are over age 95.
While in Washington, these veterans and their guardians will tour the World
War II Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery. They will also take
a short bus tour of the city before returning to Appleton for a rousing welcome home ceremony beginning at 9 PM. Members
of the media and the general public are encouraged to join us in giving these heroes a welcome home they will never forget.
“With nearly 1000 WWII veterans passing away every day in this country, time is not on our side.
Far too many of these veterans were never given the recognition they deserved when they returned home after the war and most
never had the chance to see their Memorial in Washington. This is our way of saying thank you to the “Greatest
Generation” for preserving our way of life for generations to come,” said Ron Lecker, a spokesman for Old Glory
Honor Flight.
June 28,
2010
Old Glory Honor Flight is excited to announce that our 4th mission from
Northeast Wisconsin will be a part of EAA AirVenture 2010 in Oshkosh on Thursday, July 29. A partnership between EAA,
American Airlines, and Old Glory Honor Flight was finalized this week that will take approximately 80 WWII veterans from Northeast
Wisconsin directly from the EAA grounds in Oshkosh to Washington, DC. The return ceremony, which is scheduled to take
place at the end of the evening air show in front of an estimated crowd of 20,000, would be the largest return ceremony in
Honor Flight history.
These 80 veterans, their guardians, members of the media, and other dignitaries will depart from the EAA
grounds aboard American Airlines 737 “Flagship Liberty” at 8 AM and return shortly after 6 PM following a trip
to our Nation’s Capital. The veterans will have time to spend at the WWII Memorial, the Iwo Jima Memorial, the
Korean War Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial wall before returning to Oshkosh. NOTE:
Due to time constraints, the Arlington National Cemetery Tour and changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
will NOT be a part of this trip.
“Old Glory Honor Flight would like to express our deepest
gratitude to the organizers of EAA and American Airlines for joining together in our salute to World War II veterans.
We are all looking forward to the tremendous homecoming these men and women have earned and many never received. It
is the least we can do for our greatest generation,” said Ron Lecker, a spokesman for Old Glory Honor Flight.
"Adding the Old Glory Honor Flight to AirVenture is a natural fit with this year's 'Salute to Veterans' theme,"
said Tom Poberezny, EAA chairman/president and AirVenture chairman. "We are honored to partner with American Airlines
and the Honor Flight Network, giving these heroes the opportunity to see the sites dedicated to their service and allowing
them to receive the recognition they deserve."
"All of us at American Airlines are excited to be
a part of this year's EAA AirVenture, and especially to have the opportunity to fly some of our nation's greatest treasures—World
War II veterans—to see their memorial in Washington, D.C.," said Captain Steve Blankenship, Managing Director—Veterans
Initiatives for American Airlines. "American has a long history of supporting our troops, veterans and their families.
It is an honor to serve the members of the 'Greatest Generation' who have given so much for this country."
The
Old Glory Honor Flight is one of hundreds of activities comprising the week-long "Salute to Veterans" commemoration
at the "World's Greatest Aviation Celebration," which is being held July 26-August 1 at Wittman Regional Airport
in Oshkosh.
May 21, 2010
Old Glory Honor Flight is proud to announce
the receipt of a substantial donation in the amount of $25,000 from Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation.
To show our appreciation for this donation, our third flight from the Fox Valley to Washington, DC will be known as Old
Glory Honor Flight Mission III Sponsored by Oshkosh Defense.
On behalf of the Old Glory Honor Flight
Board of Directors, I would like to offer our deepest gratitude and appreciation to Oshkosh Defense for their generous support
of our organization. This donation is invaluable to our area veterans waiting to take an Honor Flight from Northeast
Wisconsin.
Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh
Corporation, is an industry-leading global designer and manufacturer of tactical military trucks and armored wheeled vehicles,
delivering a full product line of conventional and hybrid vehicles, advanced armor options, proprietary suspensions and vehicles
with payloads that can exceed 70 tons. Oshkosh Defense provides a global service and supply network including full life-cycle
support and remanufacturing, and its vehicles are recognized the world over for superior performance, reliability and protection.
For more information, visit www.oshkoshdefense.com.
From Left to Right: Merisue Krenke and Andy Hove of Oshkosh Defense,
Diane
MacDonald, Jon LiDonne, and Drew MacDonald of Old Glory Honor Flight.
April 1, 2010
Old Glory Honor Flight is gearing up for our second flight to Washington, DC on Thursday,
April 8. Approximately 100 World War II veterans and 50 guardians from Northeast Wisconsin will board a chartered Sun
Country jet bound for our nation's capital.
The flight is scheduled to depart from the Outagamie County Regional
Airport in Appleton at 6:45 AM. While in Washington, DC, the veterans will tour the World War II Memorial, which opened
in 2004. They will also visit the Iwo Jima Memorial, the Koren War Memorial, and the Vietnam War Memorial. They
will go on to tour Arlington National Cemetery, and finish with a bus tour of the city.
A return ceremony is planned
beginning at 9:30 PM that same evening in the airport lobby for family, friends, and the general public. Members of
the media as well as state and local representatives are encouraged to attend and give these veterans the heroes welcome they
deserve.
April 1, 2010
Old
Glory Honor Flight is extremely pleased to announce the receipt of a $22,000 donation from Kwik Trip. Kwik Trip stores
company-wide raised funds for a number of Honor Flight hubs in the upper Midwest this past February.
The share
received by Old Glory Honor Flight will be used to fly 44 World War II veterans from Northeast Wisconsin to Washington, DC
to visit the memorials dedicated in their honor.
Old Glory Honor Flight would like to extend our gratitude to
Kwik Trip for their generous support of our organization. We currently have over 450 veterans on our waiting list and
this donation will go a long way to help achieve our goal of transporting every local World War II veteran to see their
memorial before it is too late.
Old Glory Honor Flight is currently planning on taking 5 trips to Washington,
DC in 2010. Each Honor Flight carries approximately 100 veterans and 50 guardians to take care of their needs throughout
the day-long trip.
April 1, 2010
Old Glory Honor Flight is proud to announce the receipt of a generous grant from Octoberfest in Appleton.
This grant in the amount of $3,500 will be used to fund our latest venture called Operation Legacy.
The mission
of Old Glory Honor Flight is to offer World War II veterans a memorable, safe and rewarding tour of honor to our Nation's
Capital. However, bringing these veterans that fought so hard for our nation to see the memorials in their honor is not our
only duty. We strongly believe that our organization should do all it can to preserve the honorable, self-less and heroic
stories of freedom.
The goal of Operation Legacy is to create a book that compiles the stories of veterans and
their wartime experiences. Each veteran that has gone on their tour of honor with Old Glory Honor Flight will have a chance
to sit with a volunteer interviewer and share their story. By doing this, veterans, their families and all generations to
come will have a work that forever preserves the stories from one of America’s finest moments in history.
Old Glory Honor Flight expects to have this book published and available for sale later this year.
February 11, 2010
Appleton, WI -- Old Glory Honor Flight
announces that all 5 Wisconsin Honor Flight hubs have teamed up with Kwik Trip stores to raise funds for the Honor Flight
programs statewide. This promotion will last from February 12-25, 2010. Old Glory Honor Flight will receive the
proceeds from all participating Kwik Trip stores in Northeast and East Central Wisconsin.
Kwik Trip will be offering
name cards to their customers for a donation to the Honor Flight programs. These name cards will be displayed around
the stores. Some locations will also have donation containers available.
Honor Flight hubs benefiting from
this fund-raiser are Old Glory Honor Flight (Appleton), Stars and Stripes Honor Flight (Milwaukee), Badger Honor Flight (Madison),
Freedom Honor Flight (LaCrosse), and Never Forgotten Honor Flight (Wausau).
"We at Old Glory Honor Flight
would like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone at Kwik Trip for their generosity and appreciation for our World War
II veterans. This program is certain to give many of these Wisconsin heroes the Tour of Honor they have earned."
says Ron Lecker, a spokesman for Old Glory Honor Flight.
February 8, 2010
Old Glory Honor Flight is proud to announce the date of our next
flight to Washington, DC carrying approximately 100 World War II veterans from Northeast Wisconsin. It will be held
on Thursday, April 8, 2010 and will again originate from the Outagamie County Regional Airport
in Appleton.
In addition to this, Old Glory Honor Flight has released a 10 minute video of the flight in October
2009, available on our website. All WWII veterans are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as we currently have over 400 veterans on our waiting list.
Old Glory Honor Flight also today unveiled "Operation
Legacy" which involves publishing a book of stories from WWII veterans from Northeast Wisconsin. We also hope to
bring our mission to the attention of young students by uniting area schools with veterans who participated in our program.
A fund-raiser at Kwik Trip (February 12-25) and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle raffle and ride at Waverly Beach
in Menasha (July 24) were also announced today.
October
29, 2009
Old Glory Honor Flight would like to thank everyone
who made our first trip such a great success! Not even the pouring rain could stop these heroes from the "Greatest
Generation" from having one of the most memorable experiences of their lives.
We would like to offer a special
note of thanks to WBAY Channel 2 and the Appleton Post Crescent for providing such wonderful coverage of this event from start to finish. Some of the most memorable experiences from
that day will live on forever in the hearts and minds of the veterans and their families, and it is so important that others
hear about our organization so that they too may take part in one of our future flights.
Thank you so much to Candlewood
Suites in Appleton for their hospitality to our veterans and others going on this flight. Thank you to everyone at Outagamie
County Regional Airport for their dedication, long hours, and everything else they did to make this day a success. We
simply couldn't have done this without you.
Thank
you to Rich Langan for volunteering your time and energy to ensure we had such wonderful photographs of our first big event.
Please take some time to click the Photos tab and view our photos on Picasa web albums.
Thanks also to former Senator
Bob Dole and Congressman Steve Kagen for taking time out of your busy schedules to share in this experience with our northeast
Wisconsin WWII veterans.
And finally, thank you to everyone who came out on Tuesday night to show your support
for our National Heroes. This event, to say the least, was one of the most heart-warming experiences these veterans
have ever had.
In the coming weeks, please
watch this website for photos and videos of the event and please feel free to download our veterans and guardian applications
if you wish to join us next year.
October 26, 2009
The first
Old Glory Honor Flight takes off tomorrow!! Thank you so much
to everyone who contributed their time, money or anything else to make this trip possible.
Please come out
to the Outagamie Regional Airport in Appleton to welcome these veterans home Tuesday night.
Their flight is scheduled to return at 9:45 PM. It will be a magical moment you will not
want to miss!
This is the least we could to thank those who risked their lives so long ago so
that we may enjoy the freedoms we have today. See you there!
October 17, 2009
10 days to go!!!
Old
Glory Honor Flight is making its final preparations for the maiden flight on October
27.
Please help us with our last push for donations before the flight.
Every little bit counts! When you watch the news that Tuesday, you will see what your donation was for. Our national heroes
getting the trip of a lifetime!!! Take a moment to watch some of the videos below from Stars and Stripes
Honor Flight in Milwaukee. Then click donate to the
right or mail your check to the address above. Thank you!
