Land of Lincoln Honor Flight is preparing for Mission 78, set for Tuesday, September 1st, departing from Springfield’s Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport.

The mission will honor 92 veterans, including five Korean War veterans and 87 Vietnam-era veterans. The veterans come from 52 Illinois communities, including Taylorville, Shelbyville, Decatur, Effingham, Springfield, Mattoon, Pana-area communities, and many others. Veterans from Indiana, Missouri and Florida will also take part.

The veterans and their guardians will report to the Springfield airport at 4 a.m. on September 1st, before boarding a chartered Sun Country 737 bound for Washington, D.C.

During the day, they’ll visit the World War Two, Korean War and Vietnam War memorials, Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia, the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial and the U.S. Air Force Memorial.

The Honor Flight experience is provided at no cost to the veterans and is funded entirely through donations from the public.

The veterans are scheduled to return to Springfield at approximately 9:30 p.m. that evening, and the public is encouraged to gather at the airport to welcome them home.

Organizers say that welcome-home experience is especially meaningful for many veterans who never received the recognition they deserved when they returned from service.

Parking at the airport will be free, with volunteers available to assist guests, and a shuttle will take visitors from the parking area to the terminal.

Veterans who served through May 7th, 1975, may be eligible for an Honor Flight. Applications for veterans and guardians are available at LandofLincolnHonorFlight.org.

The organization also offers a Flightless Honor Flight program for eligible veterans whose physical condition prevents them from participating in an actual flight.

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