Montana's second Honor Flight left from Deer Lodge

Montana's second Continental Divide Honor Flight left Deer Lodge on Saturday, the Silver State Post reported. Fifty veterans, guardians, and organizers took part. Diana Solle, one of the organizers, said about 40 people left Deer Lodge together, nine more joined them in Bozeman, and another participant met the group in Baltimore. From there it was a three-day trip to Washington, D.C.

Last year's first flight carried 32 veterans. Solle called that trip a success of stories, laughter, and tears, and said this one was meant to give the same feeling of being honored. Deer Lodge School District 1 sent an athletic bus for the group and the luggage, in place of the vans used a year earlier. The travelers took 16 wheelchairs for the walking ahead.

Solle described a packed schedule. Sunday's plan included the World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War and Vietnam Veterans memorials, and other memorials in the capital, then a banquet. Monday's plan was Arlington National Cemetery, the changing of the guard, a wreath laying, and the Marine Corps and Air Force memorials. She said the chapter looks after the veterans from the start of the trip to the end. She estimated the cost at $50,000 to $60,000, covered mostly by donations and volunteer work. Nearly $50,000 arrived after last year's flight, and another $11,000 came in shortly before this departure. The chapter was recognized by the Honor Flight Network in January 2024, after Montana went more than a decade without an active hub. Solle said the aim is simple: keep taking a trip, and honor veterans for as long as they can.