How To Apply to Portland Honor Flight
Who Is Eligible For An Honor Flight with the Portland Organization?
The Honor Flight of Portland program is available to any US military veteran from Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Hood River, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Wasco, Washington, and Yamhill counties at no cost. Honor Flight of Portland prioritizes World War II veterans and veterans with a diagnosed terminal illness. Korean War and Vietnam War veterans are also eligible for Honor Flight trips as well as all timeframes in between.
Who Travels With The Veterans?
Each Honor Flight Veteran is accompanied by a special volunteer called a guardian. This guardian is a 24/7 assistant and caretaker and must travel with the veteran for the entire trip. Honor Flight trips also have two healthcare professionals traveling with them at all times, as well as two trip coordinators.
Guardians must be physically able to take care of all the guardian’s needs, including assisting them getting in and out of the busses and pushing the veterans in a wheelchair for long distances to Memorials and through airports.
We encourage adult children and adult grandchildren to apply as guardians, but spouses are not eligible to serve as guardians. Guardians must apply and must be approved by the Honor Flight of Portland Board of Directors and must be at least 18 years of age and be able to make necessary decisions in case of unexpected emergency situations during trip.
What Does An Honor Flight Cost?
Honor Flights are 100% free to the veteran; the flight, hotel, meals, transportation, and admission fees are all provided through generous donations to our program. Guardians must pay to go on a trip. Their fee includes all flight, hotel, meals, transportation, and admission fees. This allows all donations to go to the veterans. Honor Flight of Portland can assist the guardian with ideas on how to raise funds for their trip. Currently, the fee for a guardian is $1,700.00.
How Are Veterans Selected For A Honor Flight Trip?
The Honor Flight of Portland Board of Directors decides who participates in each flight, with input from the traveling healthcare team and trip coordinators. Priority is given to World War II veterans and those veterans who are terminally ill. Other determining criteria include the veterans age and how long they have been on the waiting list.
Can A Veteran Participate Without A Family Member To Be A Guardian?
Occasionally, we have veteran organizations that will pay for and provide a member to serve as a guardian for a veteran without a family member to fulfill that responsibility. We can accept an application for a veteran without a guardian, but they cannot travel unless a guardian is identified for them. The family of the veteran is strongly encouraged to provide a guardian and we can help these guardians with ideas on how to pay for their trip.
