The first all-Vietnam War veteran Honor Flight trip from Michigan is set to land in Washington, D.C. on June 18 thanks to the support of a teenager who raised over $140,000 – enough to sponsor the entire trip.
Alice Kraatz of Kalamazoo began raising money for the trip when she was only 14. She proposed the all-Vietnam vet trip while serving as the Michigan State President of the Children of the American Revolution (C.A.R.) from 2019 to 2020.
“The State Project I led during my term was called ‘To Honor, To Remember,’ and its goal was to raise money to put Vietnam veterans on the Honor Flight, with the intent of filling the plane,” she explained. “Sending an Honor Flight devoted solely to Vietnam veterans will allow us to give them the recognition and honor that they deserve.”
Kraatz, who is now 17, sold MIA/POW bracelets to raise money and recruited other youth organizations to join her campaign by collecting bottles and cans, hosting yard sales, and asking for sponsorships.
The Honor Flight Network brings veterans to Washington, D.C. at no cost to the veterans so they can experience the memorials built in their honor. Formed in 2005, the network has provided the once-in-a-lifetime experience to more than 250,000 veterans.
The “C.A.R. Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight,” will take the veterans to Arlington National Cemetery to participate in a wreath-laying, then to the National Mall to visit the memorials honoring those who served.
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The veterans will also receive the Vietnam War Commemorative Pin during a special pinning ceremony set for 2:50 p.m. at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. On their flight back home, the veterans will receive letters from loved ones and supporters to read during one-last “Mail Call.” Trip organizers also have special plans to give the veterans the proper homecoming that so many in their generation never received.
“The veterans returning from Vietnam did not receive the same kind of homecoming that was given to veterans of previous generations and, in too many cases, our Vietnam veterans experienced rejection and anger,” said Honor Flight Network Chief Operating Officer Bobbie Bradley. “We can’t change what happened half a century ago, but we can do something about the present. As long as there are Vietnam veterans among us, it is not too late to thank them.”
The Honor Flight Network’s Lone Eagle program, which coordinates trips for veterans who live outside the reach of the organization’s more than 130 hubs, is organizing the trip in cooperation with local hubs Mid-Michigan Honor Flight and Talons Out Honor Flight.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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