ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Wednesday, 76 veterans were scheduled to tour monuments in Washington, D.C. on the Upper Peninsula Honor Flight. However, inclement weather has delayed their flight.
A processional led the veterans from their hotel to the Delta County Airport around 5 a.mm. They were greeted by the Gladstone High School Chorus and Band, who performed patriotic songs as they prepared for their flight.
U.P. Honor Flight Mission XXIV was orginally scheduled to depart at 6:30 a.m. Due to dense fog, the plane taking the veterans to the capitol could not land at the airport. Airport staff told WZMQ 19 as late as 9:15 a.m. that the plane was circling above nearby as the crew waited for the fog to clear.
Around 10 a.m., Upper Peninsula Honor Flight Board members and Delta County Airport personnel made the decision to postpone Mission XXIV until Thursday, September 19.
“The flight crew cannot work over eight hours,” U.P. Honor Flight President Scott Knauf said to the veterans and their guardians. “The airline is working on getting another flight crew, but they will not get here until 4:00 in the afternoon. There is no point in going to D.C. for a few hours.”
The Honor Flight is now scheduled to depart from the Delta County Airport at 9 a.m., with veterans arriving to board at 7:30 a.m. The veterans will return to the airport at approximately 10 p.m., and the public is encouraged to welcome them home.
Knauf says the Upper Peninsula Honor Flight Board is ensuring each veteran gets to go on a trip to D.C.
“There were a few veterans or guardians that were not able to go tomorrow, so we will move them to a future flight,” he said. “Everyone that was scheduled on this flight will get their Honor Flight.”
Follow the Upper Peninsula Honor Flight Facebook page for updates on Mission XXIV. WZMQ 19 will have a look at the veterans’ visit to Washington, D.C. on Thursday’s newscasts.
