TUCSON, Ariz (KGUN) — This month's KGUN 9 Giving Project nonprofit is Honor Flight Southern Arizona, an organization that taks our veterans to Washington, D.C to tour the memorials dedicated to their service—and they again need your help to meet a new goal this year.
Vietnam Veteran Arthur Shave took his honor flight to Washington, D.C. last November.
"The trip on the Honor Flight made a closure that I didn't know I needed," Shave shared with me. "All the people greeting us at each of the airports, it just impressed the hell out of me."
Shave was a company commander in Vietnam. He says like many, there was no hero's welcome for him when he returned from the unpopular war.
"I guess I didn't look for a ticker-tape parade when I came back, but if I got one it was on the Honor Flight."
But Arthur Shave's three-day Honor Flight to the nation's capital almost didn't happen.
"I didn't think I really wanted to go on one. I was reluctant. After signing up and going, I'd do it again."
Taking the Honor Flight with 24 other veterans to see the monuments and memorials was an emotional experience, according to Arthur—one he got to share with his son, who went as his Guardian.
Thanks to generous donors, Honor Flight Southern Arizona takes veterans to Washington for free.
The next Honor Flight is set for Nov. 1, and there are currently 350 veterans on the waiting list for an eventual trip with the organization.
In order to accommodate those on the wait list, the nonprofit needs your help raising money to reach a new goal: To take 75 veterans on the upcoming flight, and to give them that hero's welcome when they arrive back in Tucson.
That welcome at Tucson International Airport last year? It was actually one of the favorite moments in Shave's Honor Flight experience.
"Couldn't believe they could muster that many people to say thank you. The flags there were very patriotic," Shave said.
If you'd like to help Honor Flight Southern Arizona take 75 veterans to Washington this November, you can do so directly through their website, honorflightsaz.org.
Our partners in the Giving Project, the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona will again match the first $500 in donations.
WATCH | Helping the 2025 Honor Flight Southern Arizona take off
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Pat Parris is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. He is a graduate of Sabino High School where he was the 1982 high school state track champion in the 800 meters. While in high school and college, he worked part-time in the KGUN 9 newsroom. Share your story ideas and important issues with Pat by emailing pat.parris@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
