40 War Veterans Flying From Austin To D.C. To See Monuments

EAST AUSTIN, TEXAS — Honor Flight Austin will transport 40 area World War II, Korean and Vietnam War veterans to the nation's capital to visit and experience memorials built in their honor, officials said Wednesday.

The 52nd Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. is scheduled to depart on Friday, Sept. 7.

Trips on Honor Flight are made possible at no cost to the veterans through donations. Honor Flight Austin is a non-profit organization created to honor veterans by transporting them to visit and reflect at their war memorials. Honor Flight Austin serves veterans residing within Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Gillespie, Gonzales, Hays, Lee, Llano, Milam, Travis and Williamson Counties.

To support Honor Flight Austin or to learn more about the organization go to www.honorflightaustin.org.

The veterans will arrive in the ticketing area at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) around 10 a.m. The veterans, guardians and staff will assemble for a procession, from Gate 5 to Gate 12 at 11:15 a.m. led by the TSA Honor Guard and Austin Police Department Bag Pipes.

Honor Flight Austin then will depart Austin-Bergstrom at 12:30 p.m., and will be arriving at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) at 4:25 p.m. The veterans will return Saturday, Sept. 8, and arrive at the Austin airport at around 6:30 p.m.

Prior to the flight, ThunderCloud Subs and airport concessionaire Paradies-Lagardère will be honored for their outstanding support of Honor Flight Austin, officials said.

“As exemplified by the national success of our very own Treat Our Troops program, recognizing the sacrifices our veterans have made is important to Paradies Lagardère," Gregg Paradies, the company's president and CEO, said. "I’m proud of our associates for donating their time to the Honor Flight Austin initiative. Our organization participates in a wide variety of events in communities throughout the year, and we’re always looking for new ways to make a positive difference in the lives of our employees, business partners and customers.”

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