Guardians are essential to the success of the Collier-Lee Honor Flight program. Without guardians, we would not be able to fly the veterans to Washington, DC. to see the memorials built in their honor.
The #1 priority of each trip is the safety of everyone on the flight. Guardians are essential to ensuring the safety of our veterans during the flight.
When you have been selected as a guardian, we will assign you to a veteran. Then the three-step process begins to meet your veteran and prepare for the flight.
- The first step in the process is for each guardian to contact their assigned veteran—by phone or in person—to begin building a relationship. Guardians are required to submit the guardian fee of $500 ($515 if paying via PayPal) as soon as they have been paired with a veteran.
- Guardians must attend the Collier-Lee Honor Flight guardian training session approximately ten days prior to the flight. This session provides important information about their responsibilities on flight day.
- Veterans and guardians attend the "Meet & Greet" session one week before the flight. This is a chance to get better acquainted, review flight details, and have official photos taken.
On flight day, guardians meet their veterans at Naples Airport, Page Field or at RSW. Veterans and guardians coming to RSW from Naples Airport or Page Field will take a bus with a police escort. Once at RSW, veterans and guardians check in and then have a light breakfast before boarding. Guardians will ensure their veterans have their boarding passes and IDs and get the veterans through security, to the gate and seated on the aircraft
From the moment the veterans are in our hands until we return them to their loved ones in the evening, guardians will treat their veterans as if they are family and ensure that every veteran has a safe, memorable, and rewarding experience.
Please read this before submitting your online Guardian application.
1) Our website will acknowledge receipt of your application. This acknowledgement does not mean you have been selected for a flight. If selected, you will receive an email indicating your selection as a guardian with the flight date. Please be aware that we will receive more guardian applications than we have positions available for any given flight.
2) Guardians are an important part of our flights and are selected based on the following criteria: First, guardians must be 18+ years old. Second, guardians must be physically fit to care for their veterans over a long and strenuous day. Selection priority is given to those who are medically trained, active or retired military, guardians who have previously flown, and eligible family members.
The spouse of a veteran may not accompany the veteran unless he or she is also participating as a veteran on the Honor Flight. There will be no alcohol or smoking during the Honor Flight.
3) Guardian training — Every person who is selected as a guardian must attend the guardian training session ten days before the flight. If you are a family member guardian applicant from out-of-state, we will contact you and review the options for your mandatory guardian training. If you cannot attend a guardian training session, another guardian will be called to take your place.
4) Meet & Greet — Guardian must attend the Meet & Greet with their veteran seven days before the flight, and provide transportation for the veteran, if needed.
5) Collier-Lee Honor Flight will typically have one mission in the spring and one in the fall. During each of the flights, an additional event, "Honor at Home" is held at RSW airport to honor those veterans who are unable to fly for medical reasons. If you would like to work at the "Honor at Home" function, please say so in the "remarks/comments" section of the guardian application below. If you are a seasonal resident, we will make every effort to work around your time in Southwest Florida.
6) Guardians pay a $500 ($515 if using PayPal) non-refundable donation after your selection and assignment to a mission. It is due as soon as the guardian has been assigned to a veteran. If not paid on time, another guardian will be called to take your place. Use the red DONATE button to process your payment. The donation is tax deductible. If you want to apply to be a guardian during the "Honor at Home" event on flight day evening, a $50 ($65 if using PayPal) donation is required.
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7) We use this website, "www.collierhonorflight.org" and Facebook Collier-Lee Honor Flight to communicate with the public. Please see these sites for general updates and information before contacting us. Please add the following email to your address book: info@collierhonorflight.org, because we send group messages after your selection as a guardian.
If you have any questions about this, please email us at info@collierhonorflight.org or call us at 239-777-9295.
Complete the Guardian Application Form below.
All fields with an * are required information. You must complete them to submit the application.
When you have provided all the information on the application, click the "SUBMIT FORM" button at the bottom to send your online application to us.