Another successful Upper Peninsula honor Flight is in the books, and there are another 80 military veterans from the U.P. who have enjoyed the trip of a lifetime.

The World War II and Korean War veterans and their guardians left Escanaba Thursday morning and flew to Washington, D.C., for a full day of visiting memorials built in their honor, as well as all the other war memorials.

The group included veterans who rekindled friendships from when they served in the military, as well as a wonderful surprise one veteran from Marquette received when his daughter made an unannounced trip from Texas to Washington, D.C., to spend the day with him.

This was the seventh U.P. Honor Flight mission, with more than 640 WWII and Korean War veterans making the trip. The excursion is offered at no cost to the veteran, with guardians who accompany them paying $500 for the trip.

The missions aren’t over, either, with 78 WWII and Korean War veterans already signed up for U.P. Honor Flight VIII, which is planned for next spring.

For more information on the next Honor Flight, or how to get involved in supporting it, call Barb Van Rooy, one of the organizers, at 906-280-1471 or visit upperpeninsulahonorflight.org.

All the organizers and supporters of the missions, as well as the guardians, deserve a huge thank you from all of us who appreciate what they do for the military veterans who helped keep the U.S. the strong, Democratic country it is.