Iowa store donating $250,000 to Honor Flight - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Iowa store donating $250,000 to Honor Flight

Hy-Vee Food Stores Inc. will donate $250,000 to a charitable organization that provides free tours of war memorials in Washington, D.C., to World War II veterans, the West Des Moines grocer plans to announce today.

Honor Flight, a Springfield, Ohio, charity, arranges to fly veterans to see memorials for World War II and the Vietnam and Korean wars as well as trips to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The gift will allow 375 central Iowa World War II veterans to fly round-trip free from Des Moines to the nation's capital later this summer or in the early fall, organizers said Wednesday.

"We were sitting in a meeting with corporate leaders and store directors and everybody was kind of like, 'We have to do this,' " said Tony Streit, director of the Grand Avenue Hy-Vee store in West Des Moines.

Hy-Vee officials have scheduled a 2:30 p.m. announcement today at their store at 4605 Fleur Drive.

Honor Flight began in 2004 when Dr. Earl Morse, a retired U.S. Air Force captain, began flying his veteran patients to Washington, D.C., to see war memorials at his expense. He organized the charity and sought donations to provide more opportunities for World War II veterans, who, according to federal statistics, die at a rate of about 1,100 per day.

This trip will be the first out of central Iowa, said Jeff Ballenger, a Council Bluffs businessman who helped organize the effort.

The trips provide opportunities for aging veterans, some with limited financial resources, to see monuments dedicated to their service, said Ballenger.

"On one of our trips, we joked around with a fellow who said he hadn't been on a plane since the war," Ballenger said. "He said, 'If you had flown 25 sorties in the European theater, the last thing in the world you would want to do is get back on a plane.'"

The trip includes a meal the day before the trip, catered by Hy-Vee, for veterans and a guest. The veterans leave on an early flight, tour the memorials and return later the same day.

"It's very rewarding, fun thing to be a part of," Ballenger said. "We're very grateful to Hy-Vee for this donation. It's going to make some special memories for these veterans."