Photo via Twitter, courtesy @cherylvari, Cincinnati Enquirer

Several times each week, Honor Flights bring Veterans from across the country to Washington, D.C., to visit their memorials. Today, for the first time, an all women’s Honor Flight lands in the nation’s capital bringing 140 women Veterans from Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana to visit.

Honor Flight Tri-State organized today’s flight, which departed the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport at 8 a.m. ET. Cheryl Popp, Tri-State chapter director, said they wanted to put together a women’s flight, but had a hard time finding Veterans until Cincinnati’s VA Medical Center reached out to them last winter.

“The VA approached us,” Popp told WCPO-TV in Cincinnati. “We put a package together and the VA mailed the envelopes. We invited 600 women and we had 250 applications for 140 seats on the airplane. These women went through a lot, but they have wonderful stories.”

The trip to D.C. includes stops at a number of sites: the Iwo Jima Memorial, a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknowns, the U.S. Air Force Memorial and the memorials for the WWII, Korea and Vietnam Wars. In addition, the women Veterans will be hosted at the Women in Military Service to America memorial at Arlington, where VA Secretary McDonald and the director of the Joining Forces initiative will speak with them.

Meet some of the Veterans on today’s flight:

Vantage Point’s team will be providing coverage via our social media channels of today’s Honor Flight. Check this post throughout the day, or follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @DeptVetAffairs.

Topics in this story

Leave a comment

The comments section is for opinions and feedback on this particular article; this is not a customer support channel. If you are looking for assistance, please visit Ask VA or call 1-800-698-2411. Please, never put personally identifiable information (SSAN, address, phone number, etc.) or protected health information into the form — it will be deleted for your protection.

14 Comments

  1. Edwina Cain October 11, 2015 at 15:43

    The USS Stark was hit by a French Exocet Missile. I agree with the commenter re Desert Storm, Desert Shield, & the Gulf War seldom being mentioned, however, I don’t believe its intentional. Let’s just keep in mind that we’re all Veterans and that some gave all, but all gave something!! With that being said, how about a flight out of Houston, Texas???

  2. Becky Walker October 11, 2015 at 11:12

    I live in AZ. USMC Vietnam Era Veteran. we fought too…I would love to participate in one of these and visit the memorial in Washington. I have never been there.

    Thanks

  3. Victoria Perez October 4, 2015 at 12:14

    Why is it that the women who were in Bahrain during 1985-1987 are not recognized after USS STARK was blasted by a Chinese missile. We were in dangerous zone then too. It was tragic for us as well as those men whom were injured and seeing them has effected me personally ever since. We were in dangerous zones way before the Gulf War ever started in the 90’s.

  4. Clarence Abrahamson September 27, 2015 at 20:52

    How about the WW2 vets in California? I have been on the list for a year or more. I am 91 now.

    • christine goetz October 1, 2015 at 13:36

      How about the female vets in New Jersey?

      • Megan Moloney October 1, 2015 at 15:22

        Christine, the local Tri-State Honor Flight chapter in Cincinnati, Ohio, put this flight together. You may want to reach out to the chapters in New Jersey to see if they would be interested in doing a flight. You can find information about them at http://www.honorflight.org/national-hubs/.

  5. RICK TERRIN September 25, 2015 at 16:35

    LADIES: WELCOME HOME!

  6. Joyce Cagnon September 25, 2015 at 15:29

    It is so exciting to see that we female Veterans are being remembered. I love to see the WWII, Korean, and Vietnam vets. I would love to see Gulf War vets included.
    I would love for it to be possible for a flight to leave from the Boston area so female veterans like myself could enjoy the company of other female veterans in a place that means so much to all of us. A place where we as women can stand and reflect, praise, and give thanks to the fallen men and women that came before, during and after.

    Thank you
    Joyce Cagnon

  7. sandra g sandven September 25, 2015 at 14:01

    As a woman veteran having served the US Army 1979 thru 1983, I would have given anything to hear these women veteran Thank you solders’ for paving the way.

  8. C Miller September 25, 2015 at 13:29

    I see there is no mention of Gulf War Vets, again we are forgotten.

  9. D Cimochowicz September 25, 2015 at 12:49

    Awesomeness! About time a little respect demonstrated toward women veterans and I live to see the day! I would only want to go on an all women’s Honor Flight. USN Retired 1973-1996 One of the last of the Waves

  10. Quie Kay Blum September 25, 2015 at 10:38

    Where is the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in this otherwise wonderful story?

  11. toni chiara September 22, 2015 at 15:27

    wonderful pictures – wish something like this could be done for the women Veterans in California; my mom, 94 yo, is a WWII navy nurse veteran – she was at Vallejo Naval Hospital during WWII. Have tried to get her to go on a HF – if it was all women she just might do it.

    • Sandra J Cimorelli October 4, 2015 at 15:04

      I am one of many female vets in the Capital District of upstate New York. It would be an honor to be included in something like this. I know that resent ly WW II and Korean Vets made 2 trips down to DC to tour the monuments. Sign me up and I bet I can get more female vets to do the same.

Comments are closed.

More Stories