Trinidad veteran Joseph Martinez selected for Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.

After more than three years on the waiting list, Trinidad resident Joseph L. Martinez has been selected for an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., giving the 83-year-old retired U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran a long-awaited chance to visit the memorials built for his generation’s service.

Martinez is scheduled to travel May 22-24 as part of Honor Flight of Southern Colorado Network Mission #22. The trip is a three-day, all-expense-paid journey for World War II, Korea and Vietnam veterans, with guardians accompanying the veterans throughout the mission. The organization says the goal is to give veterans a chance to honor those who did not make it home and to recognize the sacrifices of those who returned.

For Trinidad and Las Animas County, Martinez’s selection puts a familiar local name at the center of a public moment of gratitude. Honor Flight is built around a simple idea: veterans should have the opportunity to stand at the memorials dedicated to their service while they are still here to see them. For many families, that makes the trip more than travel. It is a formal recognition of military service, and for older veterans in particular, it can carry the weight of closure after decades of waiting.

Honor Flight of Southern Colorado says it was established in 2011 and, as of April 2026, had flown more than 350 World War II, Korean War and Vietnam veterans on 21 missions. Its 2026 schedule lists Mission #22 for May 22-24 and Mission #23 for Oct. 2-3, showing the program remains active across Southern Colorado. The chapter says it depends entirely on donations and grants to send veterans on the flights, and a KRDO report said its first telethon raised nearly $80,000.

That support matters because the Honor Flight model is designed to reach veterans who might not otherwise make the trip to Washington on their own. Federal defense material says age, illness and financial barriers can make travel difficult, which is why the network’s missions include guardians and cover the full cost of the journey. For Martinez, the upcoming flight is both a personal milestone and a public salute from the community that knows him, his service and the significance of sending a local veteran to be honored in person.