Honor Flight program to begin taking Korean War vets to D.C.
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A new group of veterans will soon get to visit Washington, D.C. -- a trip made possible through an expansion of the Honor Flight program. The program has been taking World War II veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit their memorial. Now, the program is working to take Korean War veterans to their memorial.
Jerry Schwalbach feels the Korean War was forgotten too soon.
"After WWII this is something that occurred. This should have been honored at this time, but it was not," Schwalbach said.
Schwalbach, a Korean War veteran now lives in southeastern Wisconsin, and has never been to his war memorial in Washington, D.C. However, that could soon change.
Stars and Stripes Honor Flight Board Member Dan Toomey says this is the natural progression for the group known for flying WWII veterans to Washington, D.C.
"The WWII veterans will still have priority but that list is getting shorter so we should begin flying Korean War veterans as soon as this year and possibly as soon as the June flight," Toomey said.
Toomey says the itinerary will likely be modified to make sure the Korean War vets get to see their memorial while they're in Washington.
Schwalbach says he could not be happier. He's already in the process of putting together paperwork for his well-deserved Honor Flight.
"I think it's going to be a wonderful thing when my time comes. Wonderful," Schwalbach said.
The DVD of the Honor Flight movie has been released.
CLICK HERE for additional information on the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight program.