Mark Your Calendars: The Next Talons Out Honor Flight is April 25, 2015

Talons Out Honor Flight Sets Date for Mission-IV

September 29, 2014 – With 177 Veterans honored so far, Talons Out Honor Flight says they’re just getting started. The board of directors has announced a spring date for Mission-IV, the fourth flight for the southern Michigan Honor Flight Hub.

“We will take our next group of Veterans on their Honor Flight April 25, 2015,” Talons Out President Bobbie Bradley says. “Through the generous support of our community, approximately another 80 veterans will have the chance to see their memorial and other revered sites in Washington, D.C. Our April flight will once again depart from Kalamazoo.”

Since 2013, Talons Out Honor Flight has flown 3 missions honoring 177 veterans from World War II, as well as terminally ill veterans from the Vietnam and Korean wars.

• October 26, 2013: 21 veterans
• May 31, 2014: 77 veterans
• September 27, 2014: 79 veterans

More information will be available as further plans develop.

See & share the official news release here.

A Heartfelt Honor Flight Thank You to Our Community

The Talons Out Honor Flight board of directors wants to extend a big THANK YOU to our community. Because of you – friends, family, strangers, businesses and others – we are only 4 weeks away from our third flight in our first 12 months (11 months actually). Below is the official news release information highlighting the fundraising efforts from the last few months. While we can’t name everyone who supports us, we wanted to share a few.

Thank you to everyone who donates, to all who help spread the mission and to all who volunteer their time. Every effort to honor our veterans means the world to us and we couldn’t do this without you.

Thanks to the generous support of a great community, the third Honor Flight for Talons Out is funded and ready to fly. Approximately 75 Michigan WWII veterans now have the chance to take an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to see the memorial built in their honor.

Donations from companies like Kellogg Company, Amerifirst Home Mortgage and Ameriprise Financial have helped Talons Out raise enough money to fully fund another Honor Flight. Employee groups like Kellogg’s KVets & Supporters and Parker Hannifin team members are partnering with Talons Out to raise awareness, funds and participation with their ranks. Events at Culver’s, Cornwell’s Turkeyville, multiple American Legions, V.F.W’s and many others have bolstered donations and community support. Fundraisers from groups like the Misfits Car Club of Battle Creek and the Red Arrow Riders of Kalamazoo, as well as a successful cross community, 40’s themed fundraiser at Southern Exposure, have all contributed to the successful financing of Mission III September 27.

“Because of the generosity of our community, our third mission is funded and we’re already making initial arrangements for spring,” says Talons Out Honor Flight President Bobbie Bradley. “As we fund each flight we begin to plan the next round. It’s humbling to have a supportive community helping us to honor these local veterans.”

The next fundraising event for Talons Out Honor Flight is a Bike Night at Brewster’s in Three Rivers, Thursday September 16 (5:30 pm until 8 pm). Keep up to date at talonsouthonorflight.org or facebook.com/TalonsOutHonorFlight

See the official release here

Talons Out Honor Flight Partners with Air Zoo During High on Kalamazoo Balloon Fest

Community members welcome World War II veterans home from their Honor Flight May 31, 2014

Talons Out Honor Flight is pleased to announce a partnership with the Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Center in Portage, Michigan! The third Honor Flight mission will coincide with the High on Kalamazoo Balloon Fest, a free, family-friendly community event hosted at the Air Zoo, and will include a homecoming celebration for the returning veterans at the Air Zoo’s main campus.  Plans include a visually striking balloon glow to light the way for the Honor Flight buses as they arrive.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Air Zoo,” Talons Out Vice President Dan Moyle says. “Each of our homecoming celebrations for our Veterans has grown, and we cannot wait to reach this new crowd with our mission. It makes sense to pair these two community events, and work with the Air Zoo to honor our Michigan Veterans for their service and sacrifice.”

See the official news release here

The High on Kalamazoo Balloon Fest will be held at the Air Zoo from Friday September 26 through Sunday September 28,  and will include hot air ballooning events, live music, a car show, food, and other family activities. The Talons Out Honor Flight will arrive in Kalamazoo at approximately 8:00pm on Saturday September 27, where buses will transport these heroic veterans to the Air Zoo’s main campus for a homecoming celebration. Both the Balloon Fest and the homecoming celebration are free and open to the general public.

“The Air Zoo is thrilled to be a part of this important homecoming”, says Troy Thrash, President and CEO of the Air Zoo.  “This is an incredible opportunity for our community to meet and honor an amazing group of veterans and participate in ‘living history’ through the process.  It’s going to be wonderful evening”.

About High on Kalamazoo Balloon Fest: High on Kalamazoo Balloon Fest at the AIR ZOO in Kalamazoo/Portage, Michigan. Balloon Competition Flights, Balloon Launches, Balloon Glows, Car Show, Entertainment, Vendors and much more. AIR ZOO will be open extended hours for even more fun. Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/HighOnKalamazooBalloonFest .  For more info on the Air Zoo, visit www.AirZoo.org.

Bike Night at Cornwell’s Turkeyville U.S.A. to Benefit Talons Out Honor Flight

Come one, come all … Bike Night at Cornwell’s Turkeyville U.S.A. is for everyone! No bike? No problem! All are welcome.

The August 27th Bike Night at Cornwell’s benefits Talons Out Honor Flight. Patti Cornwell says 10% sales from 4:00-8:00pm benefit Talons Out. The Bike Night festivities begin at 5:30pm and will include live music, give aways and raffles.

Join us at Cornwell’s Turkeyville U.S.A. on 2 wheels or 4 Wednesday night August 27th.

18935 15 1/2 Mile Road
Marshall, MI 49068

Please share the above photo on Facebook, in email or in person with your friends. Help us pack out Turkeyville!

Saddle Up for the Second Annual Talons Out Veterans Poker Run

Bikers, Veterans, patriots and supporters will gather for the 2nd annual Talons Out Veterans Poker Run on July 13, 2014. All money raised will help Talons Out Honor Flight fly their third mission on September 27.

Cost per rider is $20, or $25 for a couple. Breakfast will be available, bikers will find snacks at stops and dinner is provided.

Gather at the VFW Post 4073 in Marshall. Registration & breakfast begin at 9:00am and we will ride out at 11:00. Stops include a special visit to the Battle Creek VA Medical Center to visit with Veterans, as well as area VFW and American Legion posts.

The Poker Run ends at the Decatur VFW Post 6248 with dinner and a few surprises. Join us as we ride for Veterans, with Veterans. Every dollar raised helps Talons Out Honor Flight honor our local World War II heroes with an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorial built in their honor.

Thank you to the Red Arrow Riders for helping on the route this year.

 

FREE Bi-Plane flights for World War II and Korean War era Veterans at the Air Zoo

FREE BI-PLANE FLIGHTS FOR WORLD WAR II AND KOREAN WAR ERA VETERANS AT THE AIR ZOO in Kalamazoo, MI! Do you know, or are you yourself, a World War II or Korean War era veteran? As a way of saying “Thank You!” for your service, Alan Wright, expert pilot, former Naval Aviator, and current Air Zoo Board Member, is offering FREE flights to veterans in his iconic Stearman Bi-Plane!

These flights are extremely safe and relaxing, and veterans will enjoy an amazing view of the Michigan countryside that few are lucky enough to experience. There’s nothing quite like zipping through the air in an open-cockpit Bi-Plane!

Flights will be on Tuesdays, June 24th through August 7th, and are open to veterans of any military branch who served overseas, stateside, or in any other capacity, during World War II or the Korean War era. THIS IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY AND SPACE IS FILLING UP FAST! PLEASE DON’T WAIT TO REGISTER!

Participants must be able to get into the aircraft on their own, which is a similar motion to getting in and out of a bathtub. Flights are offered on a first come, first served basis. To register, contact Tamra Stafford at the Air Zoo via telephone at 269.350.2815, or via email at tstafford@airzoo.org . Registrations will be taken in the order in which they are received, and as we go into the weekend, we advise interested veterans NOT to wait until Monday.

Please feel free to leave Tamra a message or send an email as soon as possible this weekend to secure your flight. We thank all of you for your service and look forward to providing you with a flight experience you’ll never forget! Help us get the word out, please share this with as many people as possible!

Join Talons Out Honor Flight for a Fabulous Forties Gala at Southern Exposure

Join Talons Out Honor Flight for our Inaugural Gala Event: Fabulous Forties Dinner at Southern Exposure.

Thursday June 19
Cocktails at 5:30pm
Dinner at 6:30pm
Cocktail attire, forties era highly encouraged

Southern Exposure

11269 N Drive North;  Battle Creek, MI (click here for the website)

The favor of a reply is requested by June 16 (Limited seating is available)

Print this invitation and mail it, along with the donation of $100 per person to:
Talons Out Honor Flight PO Box 280 Portage, MI 49024 

Alternate means of reserving your seats: Click on the “donate” button on this website.  Include your name & number of seats with “Southern Exposure” in the comments section.

There will be silent and live auctions including two round-trip airline tickets to anywhere in the continental United States or Canada with proceeds funding flights for WWII Veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials built in their honor.

Printable invitation click here

Fall 2014 Flight Date Announced: September 27

Talons Out Honor Flight Will Fly Third Mission September 27

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (June 6, 2014) – The third Talons Out Honor Flight mission will fly out of the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport Saturday, September 27, 2014. Talons Out President Bobbie Bradley says the Board of Directors is very excited. “After such a successful Mission-II and fantastic community support, we’re looking forward to our fall flight. We just locked in our date, and we’re going to begin to work with all of our flight day partners for another top-notch event.”

Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport Director David E. Reid says the airport and everyone involved is looking forward to the fall flight. “We are truly excited to be a part of the Talons Out Honor Flight efforts in honoring our amazing Veterans, and look forward to continuing this partnership in the fall of 2014 and beyond.”

On May 31, a group of 76 World War II and 1 Korean War Veterans returned home to an estimated crowd of nearly 2,000 family, friends and community members waiting at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo. So far Talons Out Honor Flight has helped fly 98 Veterans to Washington, D.C. to see their memorials.

Anyone interested in supporting the efforts of Talons Out Honor Flight can visit the website at http://talonsouthonorflight.org/get-involved/ for volunteer opportunities, financial support or to be a Guardian on a flight.

The official news release is here in PDF format that you can share: Talons Out Honor Flight Will Fly Third Mission September 27

Community Support Makes Talons Out Honor Flight Day a Success

A group of 76 World War II and 1 Korean War Veterans returned home to Kalamazoo to an estimated crowd of nearly 2,000 family, friends and community members Saturday night, May 31 after their Honor Flight. After the 77 Veterans and their travel companions – called Guardians – arrived at the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport, buses from Kalamazoo Public Schools and transport from Life EMS brought them to Wings Stadium, where a homecoming awaited them.

Family, friends and community members welcome home WWI Vets

Part of the Talons Out Honor Flight Day included a free showing of Honor Flight the Movie, a documentary about the national Honor Flight Network and the Milwaukee-area hub Stars and Stripes Honor Flight. “Honor Flight the Movie inspired us to launch our hub about a year ago,” President Bobbie Bradley says. “Showing it to the community helps us tell our story, and prompts our friends and neighbors to find World War II Veterans to honor. It made sense to us to share the movie with our community, and Wings Stadium was the perfect venue.”

Due to community support via raffles, merchandise sales and donations, 4 more Michigan Veterans will be able to take an Honor Flight. Money raised Saturday topped $2,000. Talons Out board member Sonya Moyle called the evening a success. “The support of everyone who came out – from buying a t-shirt or a flag to wave, to buying a ticket for our military blanket give-away will help us honor 4 more Veterans. We appreciate every bit of that support.”

The Talons Out Honor Fight Board of Directors extends a heartfelt thank you to all of the supporters, donors and friends for a successful evening. The Veterans on Saturday’s Honor Flight enjoyed the homecoming. “Amazing. I never expected all of this,” WWII Veteran Bill Kowalski said Saturday night walking through the crowd. “It was a fine day. One of the best.”

Talons Out Honor Flight Bobbie Bradley says the next step is planning the fall flight. “We’re working with the airlines and Wings Stadium right now to plan our next Honor Flight. The current plan is sometime in September or early October. Look for more information on a specific date soon.”

Talons Out Honor Flight at the World War II Memorial

Talons Out Honor Flight Day is May 31

Celebrate the Greatest Generation with us Saturday May 31 at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo. While our group is in Washington, D.C. we will share our story through the documentary Honor Flight: The Movie.

This documentary follows another Honor Flight group – called a hub – and is what inspired Talons Out Honor Flight to launch our mission here in Michigan. Feel free to bring blankets or lawn chairs for the parade route these Veterans will walk through.

The evening events include:

• Meet & greet with Veterans from our first flight – Mission I.
• See Honor Flight: The Movie for free
• Free entertaintment
• Sign making, letter writing, face painting
• Wings Stadium concessions will be open
• Stay for the homecoming of our Honor Flight – Mission II

Below is the flier for the event. Invite your friends and family so we can share the story of Honor Flight, and why we take our Veterans to Washington, D.C.