Veterans wait at the Delta County Airport to board a plane for Washington D.C. during a U.P. Honor Flight. The next Honor Flight will be Sept. 18. (Brian Rowell/Daily Press photo)

ESCANABA — Upper Peninsula Honor Flight is preparing for its 24th mission to fly United States veterans to Washington, D.C. in three weeks’ time.

On Wednesday, Sept. 18, a plane carrying 60 veterans — all residents from across the U.P. — plus volunteers and guardians will depart from Delta County Airport in Escanaba at 6:30 a.m. After touring the monuments in the nation’s capital that stand to honor their service and their fallen countrymen, Mission XXIV will fly back to Escanaba with an expected arrival of 9:30 p.m.

U.P. Honor Flight President Scott Knauf said that three Korean vets and 57 Vietnam vets will be aboard, and that they come from all branches of the military. Though recently-named U.P. Veteran of the Year Howard Seid was given a golden ticket to join this trip, he will instead be making the journey with Mission XXV in May.

The organization is also seeking to arrange an all-women’s Honor Flight next year, if they can gather enough interest. So far, Knauf reported on Monday, 26 female veterans have signed onto a waitlist. No date is yet set for that trip.

More information and applications for both veterans and volunteers may be found at uphonorflight.org; questions may be directed to 906-280-2871.

U.P. Honor Flight is the local hub of the National Honor Flight Network, which has celebrated around 300,000 American veterans with trips to D.C. since 2005.