Calkins part of Heartland Honor Flight

SUBMITTED BY HEARTLAND HONOR FLIGHT
J.R. Calkins, an Army veteran from Maryville, was part of the Oct. 14 Heartland Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. The program celebrates and honors veterans by giving them the chance to tour national memorials.

MARYVILLE, Mo. — J.R. Calkins of Maryville was one of more than 90 veterans aboard a Heartland Honor Flight on Oct. 14 that visited Washington, D.C.

The nonprofit organization celebrates and honors veterans by giving them the chance to tour national memorials in the nation’s capital.

Calkins, an Army veteran, was one of the more than 90 who made the trip from Kansas City on Oct. 14. According to a news release from the organization, each veteran is assigned a companion for the day who takes them to the airport, wheels them in a wheelchair if needed and attends to their needs throughout the day. On board the flight are a doctor, nurses and several Department of Veterans Affairs personnel. The veterans are provided breakfast, lunch and snacks, and take a bus tour of Washington.

Some of the places visited by the participants included the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the United States Navy Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the United States Air Force Memorial, the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial and the United States Marine Corps Memorial.

When visiting the Vietnam memorial, participants submitted names of fallen soldiers that were then located on the wall so the veterans could make tracings of the names.

At Arlington National Cemetery, the veterans watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Veterans interested in making future trips may print out an application from heartlandhonorflight.org and mail the completed application to northwest Missouri liaison Kila Henry at PO Box 186, Ravenwood, MO 64479. Veterans are selected for each flight based on enlistment date, with the oldest having higher priority, followed by application date.