Central Illinois residents will be disappointed to learn today a great honor for local veterans that takes them to the nation's capitol for a day is not going to happen again 2021.
The Land of Lincoln Honor Flight announced all remaining 2021 flights from Springfield have been cancelled.
This difficult decision was made after careful analysis of the extensive protocols issued by the National Honor Flight organization for resuming 2021 flights as well as the public access/gathering and COVID-19 restrictions currently in place at many of the Washington DC venues and the airports as well as on the aircraft and buses.
Areas of concern include COVID pre-screening of all passengers and volunteers, face covering requirements which would result in veterans and guardians being masked for multiple hours continuously during the day, COVID testing of non- or partially-vaccinated passengers and quarantine requirements for that group upon return.
Joan Bortolon, Land of Lincoln Honor Flight President, issued a statement indicating the decision was made after an exhaustive review and analysis of all of the factors involved in our ability to take a flight this year. Based on the current protocols and restrictions, they believe the Honor Flight will not be able to provide Veterans the full flight experience in a safe, healthy and comfortable manner. Veterans deserve the best and they don’t want to fly just because they can
She hopes to resume flights in 2022.
As a result of the flight cancellations caused by the pandemic, Land of Lincoln Honor Flight has recently developed a Flightless Honor Flight option for any World War II, Korean War Era or Vietnam War Era Veterans who anticipate that they may not be physically able to withstand the rigors of an actual Honor Flight when flights resume in 2022.
Veterans who believe they might qualify for this option should contact LLHF as soon as possible for additional information. LLHF can be reached by calling 217-473-2540, 217-585-1219 or 217-652-4719 or by email at JMB4604@aol.com.
