Memories are being made as we speak as two Lyon County school districts are into their spring Honor Flights.
USD 252 Southern Lyon County got on the road shortly after 2 am Monday. Hartford student Lilah Wilkinson is on her first trip and will serve as a guardian for a soldier out of Wichita.
Hartford student Keilee Finnerty will escort a soldier out of Dodge City. She is on her first trip, but she has already gotten a lot of advice from students who have been through Honor Flight at least once.
Olpe student Jade Smith is on her second trip. She’s going with her grandfather, who served in the Army during Vietnam.
Olpe student Dexton Hoelting is escorting a soldier out of Topeka. He says he’s excited for his first trip — especially after two brothers have already gone through Honor Flight. What have they told him to expect?
Students, veterans and district staff will return Tuesday night after a rapid, intensive trip to Washington, DC. Visits to the Navy, Air Force and Marines memorials, the White House, Capitol Building, the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon and Botanical Gardens are among the planned stops.
Meanwhile, USD 251 North Lyon County is into its spring Honor Flight, having launched early Sunday with a return home Monday night. We’ll have comment from the USD 251 trip once that contingent returns.
*Click here for KVOE’s YouTube channel, including YouTube Short videos of Monday’s departure.
Photos by Chuck Samples/KVOE News
