DES MOINES, Iowa – A group of Iowa Veterans is preparing for a new mission.

They will leave Thursday morning for a much-deserved all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. The Wake Foundation for Wounded Veterans is sponsoring an Honor Flight, which will give the Veterans three days to tour the more than thirty war monuments and memorials created in their honor.

“Whenever we go to some place like the White House or Pentagon, they have the opportunity to see some place they’ve never seen,” said the 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation’s President and CEO Robert Wake. “But when you see them go to their memorial, that’s when you see the reactions.”

Wake, an Iraqi War combat Veteran and Purple Heart recipient, founded the Wake Foundation in 2010 because he wanted to give back. It hosts Veteran Honor Flights across several MidWest areas, including Des Moines, Council Bluffs, and Nebraska. The Honor Flight Network event is just one of several it treats Veterans to. Right now, the focus is on getting World War II Veterans on board.

“There are 60,000 living World War II Veterans today, alive, and 107 leave us daily,” he told reporter Katie Kaplan. “We want to do everything we can. It’s kind of their ‘bucket list.’”

There is one WWII Veteran who is 99 years old that will be on board this flight, and twelve on board an upcoming flight sponsored by the Wake Foundation, said Wake.

This group of 34 Veterans was treated to dinner at the Baldwin-Patterson Post 274 American Legion in Des Moines on Wednesday where they were also gifted quilts that had been handmade by Gold Star families.

They were scheduled to leave Des Moines via charter bus at 5:30 a.m. Thursday from Central Presbyterian Church bound for Kirksville, MO, where a patriotic celebration will greet them before they board their fight. The Veterans, and their chaperones, will arrive in Washington, D.C. by 3 p.m. Thursday and head to the Korean Memorial first. 

Another Des Moines-area Honor Flight will take place in September. It is only half-full, said Wake. Interested Veterans from Iowa are encouraged to contact Wake via email at robert@robertwake.com, or by phone at 573-281-5140.

“Des Moines is very supportive of the Vet community and we want to give back,” said Wake.

If you would like to donate to the Wake Foundation, you can do so here.