Honor Flight veterans, student guardians meet at Lyndon

Prairie View Veterans and their student guardians set to take the Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C., later this month include, from left, Les Morse with guardian Kimberlee Eastwood, guardian Alaina Hamons with Jim Hampton, guardian Grace Johnson with Bill Jordan Jr., guardian Kelly Petric with Clayton Carothers, and guardian Madison Johnson with Ron Stanley. (Photos by Stephanie Nichols)

LYNDON, Kansas – On Sunday, April 7, the five veterans who will be participating in Prairie View High School’s Honor Flight program formally met the five students who will serve as student “guardians” for their trip to Washington, D.C. later this month.

The veterans and students met at an official meet-and-greet at Lyndon High School. The Prairie View Honor Flight program is operated under a group of several schools that includes Central Heights and Lyndon high schools.

The second trip to the nation’s capitol with Prairie View’s program will leave PVHS at 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 21, and return to the school about 9 p.m. on Monday, April 22. The Prairie View contingent will include five veterans, five student guardians and two staff members, Stephanie Nichols and Tracy Konda.

The whole group from all of the high schools will be 110 people.

Leslie (Les) Morse, James Hampton, Forrest (Ron) Stanley, Clayton Carothers, and William (Bill) Jordan Jr. are the veterans chosen to make this trip. The student guardians include The guardians this year are Madison Johnson, Grace Johnson, Alaina Hamons, Kelly Petric, and Kimberlee Eastwood.

Veterans, student guardians and staff sponsors from Honor Flight programs from several regional high schools gather at Lyndon High School for a meet-and-greet in preparation for a trip to Washington, D.C. later this month.

The students have helped raise the more than $10,000 needed for the group to make the trip. And while some donations have been made from groups and individuals who support the cause, the students have conducted bake sales and other fundraisers to help out.

On April 25, Kona Ice will be set up at PVHS for the track meet, and softball and baseball games, and a portion of their sales will go to the Honor Flight account to help pay for expenses, said program sponsor and school counselor Stephanie Nichols.