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Honor Flight forming
On Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese torpedoed the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor in a surprise raid that jolted the United States into entering WWII.
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, Dec. 7, commemorates the more than 2,400 who died during the Japanese attack. For those fortunate to return, a different honor awaits: an Honor Flight from southwest Minnesota that will take them free of charge to the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The Honor Flight concept was launched in 2005 to recognize the service and sacrifice of American veterans. Since then, more than 42,000 veterans have taken the all-expense-paid trip to the capital.
However, there is no local, southwest Minnesota chapter. In the past, southwest Minnesota veterans, most recently Arnold Veldhuizen of Pipestone and Gordon Holt of rural Jasper, have taken Honor Flights out of Sioux Falls, S.D.
A recently-formed local committee wants to change that by establishing Honor Flight Southwest Minnesota for veterans within Rock, Nobles, Pipestone and Murray counties.
The committee held its initial meeting last week. The Pipestone County members include Bob Douty, Gene Spicer, Earl Deschepper, Roger VandeKieft, Dave Smith, Joe Douty and Brian Douty. Each of the four counties will raise money individually, then throw the funds into a pot, said Bob Douty, committee member. Honor Flight South Dakota will help the new chapter with the logistics.
The total cost for one trip is $120,000, Douty said. Each trip holds 162 people, including veteran guardians, nurses or doctors. Most WWII veterans are now in their 80s and do not have the where-with-all to travel on their own, so the Honor Flight Guardians travel along to provide assistance and help.
“The ratio is one guardian to every three veterans,” Douty said.
The new committee is targeting spring 2010, after the capitol’s Cherry Festival, for the first flight. As plans develop, fundraising will be key to the success of the effort, Douty said.
A list from the Pipestone County Veterans Services Office indicates the four-county area has 1,587 WWII veterans. It’s not known how many on that list have passed away, Douty said. However, he’s certain there’s interest out there.
“There are at least 40 or 50 applicants (from southwest Minnesota) who have already applied,” Douty said.
Those applicants are on the South Dakota database for flights and would be switched to the Southwest Minnesota chapter, Douty said.
“We suggest veterans put in their application immediately,” given the interest, Douty said.
For the time being, donations may be mailed to: Bob Douty, P.O. Box 366, Pipestone, MN 56164. Applications for WWII veterans and guardians can be downloaded from the Website, www.HonorFlightSD.org, or obtained from one of the above committee members or from Wilson Manufacturing, 805 Eighth Ave. N.E., in Pipestone.
For more information, email: luvernechamber@co.rock.mn.us.
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