Green Bay Reporter

The Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks and Milwaukee Brewers will join as one team on Oct. 8 to sponsor three planeloads of local veterans on Stars and Stripes Honor Flight's 65th mission.

The so-called "Flight of Champions" is set to honor about 240 Korean War and Vietnam War veterans from southeastern and east central Wisconsin with a one-day, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., with two planes departing from Milwaukee and a third from Green Bay.

The trip's goal is to give veterans a chance to visit the memorials built in their honor and to thank them for their service. The trip will also include guardians and alumni from the three sports teams.

“We are thrilled to welcome our veterans, guardians and representatives of the Packers, Brewers and Bucks to this once-in-a-lifetime journey,” Stars and Stripes Honor Flights President Karyn Roelke told Packers.com.

The Stars and Stripes Honor Flight organization also has flights scheduled for September and November, totaling almost 9000 veterans from the area that will participate. Founded in 2008, the volunteer-run organization puts .97 cents of each dollar donated directly into flying the veterans out.

"So many of our Vietnam War and Korean War veterans came home to disinterest, or to a hostile reception," Roelke said. "What an honor it will be to finally welcome them home properly and hopefully replace some of those difficult memories with positive ones."