Never Forgotten Honor Flights postponed until fall

In accordance with the National Honor Flight Network, the April 20 and May 18 Never Forgotten Honor Flights out of Central Wisconsin Airport have been postponed.

The April 20 flight has been postponed to Sept. 7 and the May 18 flight has been rescheduled to Oct. 12.

“We value the health and safety of our veterans, their guardians, and everyone who supports the Honor Flight trips above all else. The decision to suspend all Honor Flight travel has not been made lightly, and the board has taken the firm position that all trips scheduled through April 30 must be postponed. Any hub that moves forward with a trip in contravention of this board mandate will be immediately terminated from the Honor Flight Network. No exceptions will be made,” said Mike Thompson, Never Forgotten Honor Flight president.

Thompson said is an unprecedented and challenging time because of the uncertainties and risks associated with COVID-19. He noted they are particularly concerned about the susceptibility of elderly veterans to infectious diseases. Many veterans who make Honor Flight trips have serious, chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, COPD or lung disease that leave them even more vulnerable to COVID-19. In addition, many of these veterans live in community settings, such as a retirement home or assisted living facility, where the risk of spread is extremely high.

“While we realize that many veterans feel a sense of urgency to make a trip to their memorials before it is too late to do so, we simply cannot allow travel under the present circumstances,” Thompson said.