Honor Flight from Hawaiʻi pays tribute to 25 local veterans

For the second time ever, a group of Veterans from Hawai‘i will make the journey to the nation’s capital as part of the Honor Flight Network’s Lone Eagle program. Lone Eagle Honor Flight is the national program serving Veterans in areas with no Honor Flight hub.

The Honor Flight Network pays tribute to, honors, and celebrates Veterans of the WWII, Korean, and Vietnam War eras with a trip to Washington, D.C., to visit and reflect at the memorials built in their honor. 

An Honor Flight trip comes at no cost to honored Veterans, thanks to the generous support of individuals and businesses from across the country. For this special Honor Flight journey, Alaska Airlines has donated the travel for both the Veterans and their guardians. 

25 Hawai‘i Veterans – one WWII/Korean War, one Korean War, and 23 Vietnam War era– are confirmed for the trip, along with guardians and staff to assist the senior travelers.  The honored Veterans hail from multiple islands across the Aloha State, including Maui, Hawai‘i Island, and O‘ahu.

The Alaska Airlines flight will depart from Honolulu on Aug. 7, and return on Aug. 11. During their time in Washington, D.C., the honored Veterans will spend Aug. 9-10 visiting the memorials on the National Mall. The group will view the Changing of the Guard at Arlington Cemetery and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Other monuments and memorials will be added to the itinerary as time permits.  

Meredith Rosenbeck, CEO of Honor Flight Network, noted the significance of this second Honor Flight trip from Hawai‘i.  Rosenbeck said, “With such a large number of Veterans applying for the inaugural Honor Flight trip from Hawai‘i in 2022, we welcomed the opportunity to conduct this second flight in 2023, honoring even more Veterans from several islands in the Aloha State. We are certainly grateful for the tremendous volunteer efforts supporting this second Honor Flight from Hawai‘i, as well as the generous support of our travel sponsor, Alaska Airlines. Across the state, the outpouring of enthusiasm for our organization and mission serves as a strong indication that a hub will be formed here in the near future. We look forward to bringing many more Hawai‘i Veterans on their Honor Flight trips in the years to come.” 

Daniel Chun, director of sales, Community and Public Relations in Hawai‘i for Alaska Airlines, acknowledged the special privilege it is to take Veterans from Hawai‘i to Washington, D.C.  Chun said, “We were honored to be the launch partner for Hawai‘i’s first Honor Flight last year, and we’re excited to once again be a part of this very special trip for our kama‘āina Veterans.  Our goal is to ensure that every Veteran from Hawai‘i who wants to travel to D.C. has the same opportunity.”

The public and media are invited to give the Veterans a warm send-off at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Aug. 7 and a celebratory welcome home to Honolulu on Aug. 11.