Honor Flight - Top of Virginia

HONOR FLIGHT - TOP OF VIRGINIA

GUARDIAN REQUIREMENTS/RESPONSIBILITIES

 

Being an Honor Flight guardian requires total focus on and dedication to the Veteran you are assigned to escort. Participating in an Honor Flight trip is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the Veteran. The guardian is responsible for making sure all of the Veterans' needs are met and that they are treated like a hero from the moment they arrive in the morning until the moment they leave at night. The day is about comradery and shared experiences with their brother and sister Veterans. It is a life-changing day for many of them. The guardian’s sole duty is to make sure the Veteran is safe and fully experiences all that Honor Flight offers. 

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Each guardian is assigned one Veteran to escort on the trip. Spouses/significant others of Veterans on the trip are not permitted to be guardians. Adult children and grandchildren are welcome to apply.  A guardian will be assigned to a Veteran if the Veteran does not designate a specific person to escort him/her. **ALL GUARDIANS, INCLUDING FAMILY GUARDIANS, MUST SUBMIT AN APPLICATION AT LEAST 30 DAYS PRIOR TO THE TRIP.**

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• Spouses or significant others of Veterans going on the trip are not eligible to be guardians.

• Must be between the age of 18-65.

• Must be willing to assist all Veterans as needed, and perform any tasks as requested by the bus captain, such as loading and unloading wheelchairs, collecting trash, etc.

• Must stay within arms-reach of your Veteran at all times (except when in the restroom).

• Must stay with the group. For example, if we are touring the WWII Memorial, you must stay at the WWII Memorial and not go to another location.

• Must be able to push your Veteran in a wheelchair (if needed) for a minimum of one hour at a time including up and down inclines.

• Must not require the assistance of a service dog.

• Must be physically capable of performing the guardian role, which includes assisting Veterans getting in/out of seats and wheelchairs, up/down stairs, walking an estimated 10,000+ steps on trip day, and experiencing possible heat, cold or rain.

• Must not have any mobility issues, including the use of canes, crutches, walkers, slings, or have back issues, casts, or other conditions limiting physical strength and agility, etc.

• Honor Flight - Top of Virginia reserves the right to deny any application at the Board’s discretion.

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If you feel that you meet all of the above requirements, please submit your application. Once you are selected to participate, you will receive a confirmation email with all of the trip logistics information. Please note that our guardian roster is often not finalized until a few weeks before the trip as we are still adding new Veterans or removing Veterans who can no longer attend due to illness. Once our Veteran roster is finalized, we will begin contacting guardians for confirmation.

 
For further information, please contact us via e-mail at info@honorflight-tov.org or by phone at 540-692-9197.