Public invited to attend welcome home for veterans after Honor Flight

MARION, Ill. (KBSI) – The public is invited to help welcome home veterans from an Honor Flight on Tuesday, September 10 at Veterans Airport in Marion, Illinois.

A Welcome Home event will be held at 5 p.m. to welcome home veterans from their day in Washington DC.

“The community support for the previous Honor Flight Welcome Home events has been overwhelming!” said Deborah Hogg, Welcome Home organizer. “There is no better way to celebrate our Veterans and honor them than by giving them a Hero’s Welcome Home.”

A 10-member Welcome Home Committee meets monthly to plan the event.

The Flight #13 Welcome Home Celebration will be held outside at the front entrance of the Veterans Airport in Marion, Illinois.

Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

“The community starts arriving at the Airport about 5pm with banners and lawn chairs. It is really a festival atmosphere all evening with food, a kid zone, and local entertainment,” said Hogg.

Several food trucks are scheduled to be there. They include Cone to Table, Crazy Asian Eats, Chef Adam, Flippin Crepe, Fry Guy, and The Caribbean Hut, TasTea Bowls & Treats and American Ice Cream. Food service will begin at 5 p.m. and last until all 89 veterans have passed through the Freedom Path through the Airport terminal.

“And while the public is enjoying their dinner, they can also enjoy the local entertainment,” saidd Amanda Throgmorton of the Welcome Home Planning Committee. “The entertainment line-up for the evening includes Daniel Brothers Band and Whiskey and Rust.

The Welcome Home Ceremony will begin at 8:45 p.m. with Emcee Steve Falat from River Radio and Matt Throgmorton from Byassee Music and Sound singing the National Anthem.

Limited parking is available on airport grounds.

The general public is encourage to use the transportation busses from off-site parking locations.

T-Street Rides, Shawnee Mass Transit District and Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois can provide park and ride transportation services at no cost from locations including Sam’s Club and Cornerstone Church. Buses will depart from these off-site parking locations throughout the event, approximately every 20 minutes beginning at 5 p.m. to ensure everyone has easy access to the event.

The Welcome Home committee encourages the general public to bring Welcome Home banners and flags to the ceremony and wear patriotic attire.

If anyone has questions or needs assistance when they arrive at the airport, they can ask anyone of the more than 350 volunteers stationed at various points throughout the airport grounds and terminal lobby. All volunteers will be wearing bright orange lanyards.

“We hope everyone will come out to the Airport and help us welcome home our Veterans. We want the Veterans to witness a sea of red, white and blue when they depart the plane,” said Hogg.

Veterans who have been on previous Honor Flights are also encouraged to come in their red shirts. They will have VIP access at the Welcome Home Celebration.

Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois is an established 501c3 non-profit hub of the Honor Flight network. All expenses for this one-day trip are covered by Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois including the flight, ground transportation, meals, and beverages. The trip is provided free of charge to the veterans.

Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois is implemented solely by volunteers with 96.5 cents of every dollar donated going to the veterans.

Visit veteranshonorflight.org to learn more.