A few times a year, a handful of Colorado veterans take the trip of a lifetime. They fly to Washington, D.C. to see the memorials celebrating their service and remember those who were lost. We're working to give that opportunity to even more veterans.
The Rocky Mountain Honor Flight organization needs about $60,000 for every trip. We want to help them by raising enough money to fill as many planes as possible.
DONATE HERE: http://bit.ly/2CZIeG6.
On January 9, from 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., 9NEWS will join with Rocky Mountain Honor Flight in a telethon to raise money to send Colorado veterans to Washington, D.C. There, they will have the opportunity to visit the war memorial honoring their sacrifice, connect with comrades in arms, and receive the recognition of generations of grateful Coloradans.
Each flight carries 28 veterans, their guardians and medical staff. All staff members are volunteers. And the trip is always free for veterans.
The first Rocky Mountain Honor Flight was in 2008. Since then, the chapter has made more than 30 trips with more than 1,000 World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans.
Top priority is given to the most senior heroes as well as those who are terminally ill. According to the organization, it's estimated 500 World War II veterans die every day. There are about 15,000 World War II veterans currently in Colorado.
On the Honor Flight trip, veterans spend two days visiting sites in Washington, D.C. Stops include the World War II Memorial, Navy Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington Navy Yard, Arlington National Cemetery, Air Force Memorial, Marine Corps Memorial, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Memorial.
All Honor Flight funding comes from private donations. The organization does not accept government funding. All donations are tax deductible. All funds raised during the telethon go directly to organizing additional flights for Colorado veterans.
You can donate here: http://bit.ly/2CZIeG6.
You can read more about the Rocky Mountain Honor Flight on their website.
You can see some of our past stories with Honor Flight veterans here.
