Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) Thirty five women veterans from Western New York are preparing for the first female Honor Flight to Washington D.C. this weekend.
"Buffalo Niagara Honor Flight honors all veterans from World War II, Korean and Vietnam eras," organizer Kathy Brown explained to WBEN.
"We were inspired by the best selling book called "The Women," by Kristin Hannah. It's about the military nurses in the Vietnam War. We decided it was time to honor all of our local female veterans with a flight dedicated just to them."
Planning for this trip has been a year in the making. They depart Saturday morning.
The 35 women on the trip served during the Korean, Cold War and Vietnam eras. They will see all of the monuments and memorials that have been built in their honor, including the Women's Military Memorial.
"This is all about the ladies," said Brown. "We will be making sure that they understand that this community has really gotten behind this trip. We even surpassed our funding goal."
These women had roles such as surgical nurses, a meteorologist, an aircraft maintenance person and early computer programmer.
Despite the government shutdown, the Honor Flight Network is making sure there are no hiccups with the tour.
A welcome home celebration is planned for Sunday night, October 12, at 8:30pm at the Buffalo Airport. It is open to the public.
"We're hoping for a big crowd at the airport to give them the welcome home that they never received," added Brown.