Eastern Iowa Honor Flight: Looking back, looking forward and thanks

So far, Eastern Iowa Honor Flight has conducted 18 flights and transported 1458 veterans and their guardians to Washington, D.C. to see the memorials dedicated to their service and sacrifice. We intend to have four more flights this year.

We hope to reach as many veterans as we can. These are the men and women who helped preserve and reinforce the foundation of the freedoms we enjoy today.

Our priorities remain to offer trips at no cost to any terminally ill veteran - regardless of conflict - as long as they are physically able to make the trip, and to veterans of World War II Veterans and the Korean War. We hope eventually to be able to offer trips to Vietnam-era veterans.

If you are a veteran, or a family member of a veteran who you think might want to take this trip, please download and complete an application at eihonorflight.org. Applications are processed in order that they are received. As soon as our 2015 flight dates are finalized, we will announce them.

We are thankful for our veterans, who are the reason for this organization's existence, and to the many people who make these flights possible: Our donors, be they individuals, groups or corporations; our volunteers, who are some of the best I ever have worked with. Please know that every dollar you donate to us goes to flight operations. We are a federally recognized 501©3 charitable organization and there are no salaries taken by any member of the organization.

And we are thankful for those groups and individuals who turn out to the airport to welcome veterans home after every flight, which never fails to astonish the veterans. We sincerely thank you for your dedication to honoring these veterans. There are too many to list here, but know that each and every one of you is greatly appreciated. We hope to see many of you at the airport on the evening of a flight to take part in the wonderful welcome home ceremony.

' George Rickey is the media coordinator for Eastern Iowa Honor Flight. Comments: easterniowahonorflight@gmail.com