Moline, Ill. (KWQC) - 103 veterans are preparing for the trip of a lifetime. The 48th Honor Flight of the Quad Cities is taking off from the Quad Cities International Airport Thursday morning. The group this time around includes four Korean Veterans and 99 Vietnam Veterans. Nine of those 103 veterans also share a special bond. There are two sets of brother for this Honor Flight. Four brothers- two who served in the Korean War and two who served in the Vietnam War. A second set of five brothers are all Vietnam Veterans.
The Honor Flight of the Quad Cities was formed back in 2008 with the purpose of flying America’s Veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials dedicated to honoring their sacrificed. Their intent is to honor local and regional heroes who were selfless in their military duty with a free trip to their memorials and the program is funded by donations from organizations and individuals.
They will touch down in Washington D.C. around 11:00 this morning and their itinerary is packed. They’re exploring the Vietnam and Korean monuments. They’ll also make it to Arlington, by police escort, for the changing of the guard, followed by the Air Force Memorial and a look at the Pentagon en-route back to the airport.
They’ll be returning around 10:00 p.m. tonight and there will be a huge welcome home ceremony at the airport that will serve as the welcome home ceremony they never had before.