On May 26 Villages Honor Flight took its first group of World War II veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the WWII memorial. The one-day trip also included stops at other memorials and Arlington National Cemetery. The 25 veterans included nine from Lady Lake, five from Leesburg, five from The Villages, two from Eustis and one each from Tavares, Floral City, Hernando and Spring Hill.

The group returned to the American Legion Hall at Rolling Acres Rd. and County Rd. 466 in Lady Lake for a homecoming celebration at approximately 11:15 p.m. May 26. Villages Honor Flight serves veterans in Lake, Sumter and southern Marion Counties. About 150 WWII veterans from these areas have registered with Villages Honor Flight. A second flight is scheduled for June 26.

Future plans are for one fl ight during April, May, June, September and October each year with 25 to 30 veterans on each flight. Villages Honor Flight is an official hub of the National Honor Flight Network, a nonprofit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. Approximately 16 million men and women served in the US Military during World War II; about 1.2 million survive.