Sanford Community Celebrates Florida's First All-Female Veterans Flight of Honor

Karyn Rinaldi stepped off Florida's first all-female veterans Flight of Honor to welcome signs, face painting, food trucks, a DJ, and neighbors dressed head-to-toe in red, white, and blue. The GFWC Lake Mary Woman's Club, along with families and friends, turned out to greet Rinaldi and her fellow women veterans with the kind of reception usually reserved for a homecoming parade.

The GFWC Florida Flight of Honor flew to Washington, D.C., and back on March 10-11, carrying women veterans whose entire trip was covered at no personal cost. The flight landed at Lakeland Linder International Airport's Warbird ramp, 3890 Laird Ave., at 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11. It was the first all-female veterans Flight of Honor in Florida, organized as the president's project of GFWC Florida President Sara Dessureau. To fund it, the Lake Mary Woman's Club collaborated with GFWC Florida clubs across the state, raising over $200,000 and making it possible to recognize more than 170 women veterans with all expenses paid.

Rinaldi's selection for the flight carries particular meaning for the Lake Mary club. A retired Navy officer, she spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps specializing in Facility Management and Construction Management. After retiring, she joined Honor Flight Central Florida, a 501(c)(3) that honors World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans. Her path to the Lake Mary Woman's Club began when she presented a program on Honor Flight to its members. She was so taken with the group that she joined shortly afterward, "impressed by their energy and talents."

The welcome-home celebration drew children, volunteers, and onlookers who carried posters and cheered the returning veterans. The crowd's attention centered especially on Rinaldi, whom club members had come specifically to celebrate.