Nearly 100 veterans of World War Two from northeast Iowa are in Washington D.C. this morning as part of the second so-called Honor Flight from Dubuque. Dennis Avenarius, this flight’s director, says the region’s first one-day trip last May brought tears and smiles as the veterans visited the new World War Two Memorial, along with several other monuments and Arlington National Cemetery.
“It went great,” Avenarius says. “I’ve gotten a lot of comments back from the veterans. They just thought it was a great time and were really appreciative that somebody took the time and effort to acknowledge their accomplishments.” Future trips are possible, though Avenarius says they will wait until November to discuss that. He notes, it’s not cheap to fly around a-hundred veterans to Washington and back.
He says it costs about $75,000 to put on the whole flight, which includes the orientation and evening meal the night before, the flight itself, the bus transportation, the meals in D-C, and the souvenirs that are given to each veteran and guardian. The flight left the Dubuque Airport around 7 o’clock this morning. The veterans are due back in Iowa around 10 o’clock tonight.
By Janelle Tucker, KMCH, Manchester