MILWAUKEE — A new generation of veterans can now take flight with Milwaukee's Stars and Stripes Honor Flight, as the organization expands eligibility to include Cold War and Gulf War veterans.
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The organization announced Monday at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport that it is expanding eligibility to veterans who served through July 31, 1991.
The change opens applications to those who served during the Cold War and the Gulf War.
"With each group, we heard stories we might not have heard otherwise," board president Steve Vasatko said.
The flights allow veterans to visit the memorials built in their honor, with transportation and the trip provided at no cost.
The organization recently completed its 90th mission, bringing 110 veterans to Washington and back home.
It has now flown 11,665 veterans since 2008.
"It was the best day of my life," Vietnam War Veteran Stewart Nagao said.
Nagao took his Honor Flight in 2018.
"I could see the healing happening right in front of me when I was at the Wall," Nagao said.
Monday's announcement included a ceremonial passing of a boarding pass.
Nagao and other veterans who have taken an honor flight handed boarding passes to Gulf War veterans Christy Schultz and Peter Ritz.
Schultz volunteers with the organization, working with the wheelchair crew to help veterans board and disembark.
For her, the announcement means she can experience something she's spent years helping other veterans enjoy.
"Being a vet, it's hard to accept this thanks because we just did our job," Schultz said.
After years of helping other veterans take flight, Schultz is now looking forward to receiving that same honor.
"On the other side though is joy, humility, and the realization that I did this thing with warrior brothers and sisters. It is noble and deserves to be celebrated," she said.
"I humbly accept and anxiously await."
The expansion also comes after the recent dedication of the national Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The memorial honors approximately 700,000 Americans who served in the 1990-91 Gulf War.
"Getting them out to D.C. to see their memorial reminds them they are not forgotten," Kent Shively, deputy director of planning and design for the memorial, said.
Veterans who served through July 31, 1991, can now apply for an Honor Flight.
However, the expansion does not change the organization's policy of prioritizing the oldest veterans. Those who served before 1971 and have not yet taken a flight will remain at the front of the line.
Newly eligible veterans who served after that date could wait at least a year before flight scheduling begins as existing waitlists are processed.
For complete eligibility guidelines or to apply, visit starsandstripeshonorflight.org.
This story was reported on-air by Kaylee Staral and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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