ESCANABA — Preparations are being made for the 73 veterans that will be on the Honor Flight to Washington D.C. next Wednesday.

Today, community members met to stuff backpacks for all the veterans who will be coming on the trip. These backpacks include things such as t-shirts, name tags, snacks, and an itinerary of all the upcoming events for the day. Once the veterans land in D.C., they will be visiting seven different monuments.

This trip is an exciting event for both the veterans along with the people who put it on.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be able to do this, I’m very fortunate to be in this position and to bring these veterans out to D.C. to show them the memorials that were built in their honor. It’s just a privilege to do this,” said U.P. Honor Flight President, Scott Knauf.

The Honor Flight officially takes off on Wednesday, September 21st at 6:30 A.M. and lands at 8:30 P.M. Anyone from the public is invited to meet at the Delta County Airport during the landing to give the veterans a warm welcome.

“We are looking for anyone to come out to the airport to watch us land for the welcome home, that is a big part of the Honor Flight mission and that they get the welcome that they never did 60-70 years ago,” said Knauf.

A police escort will also be bringing the veterans to the airport before the flight takes off.