DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — It's been more than 50 years since Robert Haines went off to war.

"I got drafted...so I went down and enlisted in the Navy," he said. "I was on an aircraft carrier, USS America."

He may not have been crawling through the jungles of Vietnam, but working on the flight deck presented its own dangers.

"When I was doing it, I was 19 or 20 years old and when you're that young, you're fearless," Haines said. "A lot of people called it organized chaos."

Haines was all set to visit Washington, DC this spring as part of the Land of Lincoln Honor Flight program. But when COVID-19 scuttled everyone's plans this year, his flight to visit the memorials and monuments erected for men and women like him never took off.

"I was really looking forward to it," he said.

Land of Lincoln Honor Flight is now stuck in a holding pattern. No one knows that better than veteran coordinator Steve Wheeler.

"It's been a tough year," Wheeler said. "We had six flights booked here for 2020. We had the first two — the April and May flights — already built, put together and ready to go. We had to cancel those."

Like many nonprofits, Honor Flight has seen its donations plummet. The group is running $30,000 to $40,000 behind usual fundraising goals. That financial pinch hits home — because until restrictions are lifted in Illinois and elsewhere, there won't be those poignant moments that make the countless hours of work worth it.

"For them to see the memorials out there with their brothers in arms, they can reflect," Wheeler said. "They can fight some of the demons they've been dealing with for decades and in some cases, they can really improve their lives and make their life better. We owe them that."

Haines is still ready for takeoff.

If he can't fly to Washington this year, he wants something even simpler this Veterans Day — something everyone can provide.

"Just thank all the veterans for what they've done and what they've fought for and many have died for so that America cna have the freedom that it has," he said.

For more information or to donate to Land of Lincoln Honor Flight, click here.