Ritchie Hosts Event to Announce First Honor Flight for WWII Veterans from Southwest Minnesota
-Honor Flight-Southwest Minnesota arranges trip to nation's capitol and WWII Memorial for WWII veterans in southwest Minnesota

WHAT:
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie will pay tribute to a southwest honor flight organization and veterans in St. Paul by signing a proclamation issued by the governor which designates the month of March as "Southwest Minnesota Honor Flight Initiative Month." The visiting veterans are part of a group of WWII vets who will travel this spring to our nation's capitol to visit the World War II Memorial and other national monuments—a two-day trip organized by Honor Flight-Southwest Minnesota. This will be the first honor flight organized for veterans from that part of the state.

Secretary of State Mark Ritchie had the privilege of being a guardian on a Twin Cities honor flight back in Nov. 2009. Following the trip, Secretary of State Ritchie shared his experience with local residents in Luverne, Minnesota encouraging them to find a way to engage their community to organize an honor flight for veterans in their area. Larry and Jane Lanphere of Honor Flight-Southwest Minnesota said the secretary's words became a call to action.

The Lanpheres say that communities in southwest Minnesota came together to strongly support this honor flight. The nonprofit reports that it has raised approximately $115,000 of the $136,000 needed to charter a flight out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota to send 110 veterans and 40 guardians to the nation's capitol. Guardians, who attend to each veterans' needs on the trip, must pay their own way. However, the flight, ground transportation, food and lodging for the trip are provided free of charge to veterans.

Honor flights were created to recognize the service and sacrifice of our country's veterans and arranging special tours for them to visit our national memorials in Washington, D.C. at no cost to the veteran. The youngest of our nation's WWII veterans are now entering their 80s. Because of financial and physical challenges, this trip presents the only opportunity for many of these men and women to visit the national memorial dedicated to their service and sacrifice.

Veterans visiting the secretary in St. Paul hail from Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, and Rock counties and will be accompanied by Honor Flight-Southwest Minnesota committee members.

Honor Flight-Southwest Minnesota is expected to announce the date of the trip at the event. The trip will be administered by Honor Flight-South Dakota. For more information about Honor Flight Southwest Minnesota visit: http://www.freedomveteransmemorial.org/honorflight.aspx
WHEN:
Friday, Feb. 26, 2010
2:45 p.m.

WHERE: Room 181 
State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul

WHO: 
WWII Veterans from southwest Minnesota area
Members of Honor Flight-Southwest Minnesota executive committee
Terrie Gulden, spokesperson
Jane Lanphere
Larry Lanphere
Glen Gust
Gene Spicer
Joni Harms
Darlene Macklin
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie

###