DENVER — A few times a year, a handful of Colorado veterans take the trip of a lifetime.
The veterans fly to Washington, D.C., to see the memorials celebrating their service and to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
In the nation's capital, the veterans will have the opportunity to visit the war memorial honoring their sacrifice, connect with comrades in arms and receive the recognition of generations of grateful Coloradans.
Each trip of three days and two nights, for which the veterans pay nothing, costs $60,000 to $65,000. To date, the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Honor Flight has taken about 1,350 veterans to Washington.
Each flight carries veterans, their guardians and medical staff. All staff members are volunteers. The trip is always free for veterans.
9NEWS is working to give that opportunity to even more veterans with a telethon on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, to raise funds for Rocky Mountain Honor Flight.
Rocky Mountain Honor Flight is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization and receives no government funding. Honor Flight funding comes from private donations.
Thursday's telethon ran from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Donations can also be made online here.
All funds raised during the telethon go directly to organizing additional flights for Colorado veterans. All donations are tax deductible.
> Donate online now: Rocky Mountain Honor Flight
The first Rocky Mountain Honor Flight was in 2008. Since then, the chapter has made more than 45 trips with more than 1,000 World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans.
Top priority is given to the most senior heroes, as well as those who are terminally ill. According to the organization, it is estimated that less than 500,000 World War II veterans are alive today, with more than 500 passing away each day.
On the Honor Flight trip, veterans spend two days visiting sites in Washington, D.C. Stops include the World War II Memorial, Navy Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington Navy Yard, Arlington National Cemetery, Air Force Memorial, Marine Corps Memorial, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.
> Donate online now: Rocky Mountain Honor Flight
You can read more about the Rocky Mountain Honor Flight at RockyMountainHonorFlight.org.
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