Veterans heading to D.C., on Freedom Honor Flight this weekend

All vets in La Crosse area invited to get on waiting list

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many veterans.

Saturday, the Freedom Honor Flight flies again out of La Crosse to Washington D.C.

The La Crosse-based organization takes vets from the area to visit memorials and monuments honoring their service.

Kathy Van Kirk has been on all 18 flights dating back to 2008 and she says the experience never gets old. 

“Every flight is emotional,” she said. “To be able to talk to veterans who maybe didn’t have any kind of welcome home, this is a huge, ‘Thank you.’

“That’s what this whole thing is about – honoring them and thanking them. It is truly emotional.”

The flights began by taking WWII and Korean War vets but has since expanded to all veterans. Priority, however, is still with those early-war vets and, also, those who may not have much time.

“We want to bump them to the top of the (waiting) list,” Van Kirk said. “If someone is in a situation where this may be their last chance, we are happy to take them.”

The flight takes vets from western Wisconsin, southeast Minnesota and northern Iowa.

Everyone is invited to send them off at 6 a.m. Saturday from Colgan Air Hangar 4, adjacent from the La Crosse Municipal Airport.