Manhattan Veteran To Take To The Skies For Honor Flight Wednesday

MANHATTAN, IL — A Vietnam veteran and Manhattan resident will get his turn to visit Washington, D.C., Wednesday when he boards a plane headed for the nation's capitol.

Leo Barnes served in the Army from 1965-67 as a radio repairman. He spent a year stationed in Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam. Barnes is being honored for his service through Honor Flight Chicago, a nonprofit organization that provides veterans with all-expense paid trips to Washington, D.C., for "a day of honor, thanks and inspiration," according to its website.

"He will be greeted, lauded and applauded all day long," said Honor Flight Chicago volunteer Nancy Staiger.

Barnes' itinerary for the day will include a trip to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where the names of the names of 58,318 Americans who were killed during the controversial war, according to the National Park Service website.

His trip will also include a visit to the World War II Memorial, where there will be an honor guard salute, guest speakers and a few other surprises, Staiger said.

Barnes' trip will be the first for Honor Flight Chicago since 2019, when the organization suspended trips due to the pandemic.

Readers can follow along with Barnes via updates on the Honor Flight Chicago Facebook page. Be sure to check back on Patch Thursday for an update with Barnes on how the trip went.

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