SYRACUSE — Sadly, many veterans have passed before they could be flown on their Honor Flight to Washington – many thousands were lost before Honor Flights even existed.
But according to Nate Bradley, Flags of Our Heroes program manager there is still a way to honor those deceased veterans through the Flags of Our Heroes program.
“We invite families or friends of deceased veterans to submit an application and loan Honor Flight a 5 by 7 photo of the veteran and a copy of the obituary notice, if available,” Bradley wrote. “The application may be completed online at Flags of Our Heroes on the Honor Flight Syracuse website. There is also a form that can be downloaded and printed.”
The website can be found at HonorFlightSyracuse.org
Photos should be mailed to: Honor Flight Syracuse, PO Box 591, Syracuse, NY 13209-0591, ATTN: Flags of Our Heroes.
It is asked that anyone submitting a photo please send clear, original photos. Photos of the veteran in uniform are best, but not required.
For Mission 16, applications and photos must be submitted no later than April 1.
A flag of a deceased War Veteran has been donated, and will be taken, along with the veteran’s photo, on Mission 16 to the Memorials in Washington, D.C. The flag and the veteran’s photo will be placed in front of the appropriate memorial and a photo taken.
After the mission, families will receive an invitation to a solemn ceremony in Veterans Hall at the Onondaga County War Memorial several weeks after the mission.
At the ceremony, families will receive an 8 by 10 photo and a formal certificate from Honor Flight Syracuse honoring the veteran and their participation in spirit on the recent mission. All items submitted will be returned after the ceremony.
“We deeply appreciate your veteran’s service to our country,” Bradley wrote. “We will be honored to commemorate your veteran’s service through the Flags of Our Heroes Ceremony.”
