Honor Flight South Carolina is a non-profit organization that provides an opportunity for every World War II Veteran in South Carolina who has never had a chance to visit the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C., to do so. Flights are chartered throughout the year from Columbia to Washington, D.C.

A charter flight takes the WWll Veterans to Washington, D.C., so that they can see and experience their WWll Memorial. They also enjoy a tour of D.C. and visits to the Korean, Vietnam and Iwo Jima memorials and monuments.  The WWll Veterans are also special guests at Arlington Cemetery and they observe the Changing of The Guard at the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier. WWll Veterans do not pay for the one-day trip.

Honor Flight of South Carolina is a “hub” of the Honor Flight Network and was founded by Bill Dukes in July 2008. Earl Morse in Ohio founded the Honor Flight Network in 2004. The first flight for WWll veterans from South Carolina was in 2007 and organized by the mayor of Simpsonville.

Guardians accompany the WWll Veterans on the flights and those wishing to be a guardian pay $500 for the honor of being a caretaker for the WWll Veterans. Medical personnel are also part of the travel group.

The next two Honor Flight dates are scheduled for Wednesday, April 11 and Wednesday, May 23.

If you are interested in submitting the name of a WWII veteran for his free trip, becoming a guardian or donating to Honor Flight, you can contact them at 803-582-8826, http://www.honorflightsc.com/ or Honor Flight of South Carolina P.O. Box 292421, Columbia, S.C.