Help welcome back Eastern Iowa Honor Flight veterans Tuesday evening

On Tuesday, the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight will launch EIHF Flight #40. There are 87 veterans scheduled for this flight: three from World War II, 14 from the Korean conflict and 70 from the Vietnam era.

Since Eastern Iowa Honor Flight began operations in 2009, to date, it has transported 3,527 veterans, plus their guardians, to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials dedicated to their service and sacrifice. While there, they will visit the World War II, Korean, Vietnam memorials, as well as visit Arlington National Cemetery and other memorials.

Veterans will begin reporting into The Eastern Iowa Airport at 5:45 a.m. on Tuesday with an estimated departure time of 7:15 a.m. Estimated return time to Cedar Rapids (barring any delays) is 8:45 p.m.

The community is invited to come out and welcome home our veterans.

Parking is free. Come early, as the lots fill up quickly. You can park in either long- or short-term lots. When you come into the terminal, please stop by and pick up your free parking pass. (Masks currently are required while inside the airport, per federal mandate.) When you leave that night, give both that ticket, and the one you got when you pulled into the lot, to the personnel at the exit (look for the marked Honor Flight lane), and you are good to go.

Many veterans never received a “thank you, welcome home” when they returned from their service. Here is a chance to make up for that. Organizers hope to see a large crowd at the airport on Tuesday evening.

The Eastern Iowa Honor Flight is a federally recognized 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization staffed entirely by volunteers dedicated to honor and pay tribute to World War II, Korean, Vietnam Era and other veterans.

For questions about the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight, please contact

easterniowahonorflight@gmail.com.