Honor Flight
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An Honor Flight is conducted by
non-profit organizations A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
dedicated to transporting as many
United States military The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...
veterans as possible to see the memorials of the respective war(s) they fought in
Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
, at no cost to the veterans. These organizations are focused on bringing veterans of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
to the National World War II Memorial, and any veteran with a terminal illness, to see the memorial of the war they fought in. Organizers plan to "naturally transition" their programs to focus on veterans of the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
, the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, and subsequent wars as the veterans of those wars get older. Honor flights arrive at all three of the Washington's area airports:
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport in Arlington County, Virginia, United States, from Washington, D.C. The closest airport to the nation's capital, it is one of two airports owned by the federal government and ope ...
, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, and
Washington Dulles International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport ( ) – commonly known by its former name of Dulles International Airport, by its airport code of IAD, or simply as Dulles Airport – is an international airport in the Eastern United States, located w ...
. The veterans are generally escorted by volunteer guardians, who help them on the flight and around DC. After landing, the taxiing airplane may be saluted by
fire trucks A fire engine or fire truck (also spelled firetruck) is a vehicle, usually a specially designed or modified truck, that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to ...
, and passengers are often met by cheering crowds in DC or upon their return flight home.


Honor Flight Network

The Honor Flight Network is a
501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...
non-profit organization which works as an umbrella organization with local chapters and various subgroups. The Honor Flight Network reports that it has flown over 244,000 veterans to the Washington, D.C. memorials since 2005.


History

The network was cofounded by Earl Morse, a
physician assistant A physician assistant or physician associate (PA) is a type of non-physician practitioner. While these job titles are used internationally, there is significant variation in training and scope of practice from country to country, and sometimes be ...
and retired
Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
captain, and Jeff Miller, a small business owner and son of a WWII veteran. Morse worked in a
Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...
clinic in
Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in southwestern Ohio along the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, about west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and northeast of ...
, where he saw many patients who were World War II veterans. After the National World War II Memorial in Washington was completed in 2004, he asked many of his veteran patients if they were going to see it, and most said yes. "I would see my World War II veterans some three, six months later," Morse said, "and I'd ask them if they'd gone to see it. Three hundred of them, and not one of them had been to it. Reality set in. They were never going." Morse offered to fly with two veterans to Washington to see the memorial, and after seeing them break down and cry and graciously accept the offer, he pitched his idea to a local aeroclub of 300 private pilots at a local Air Force base, proposing that the pilots would pay for the flights for the veterans to Washington and personally escort them around the city. Eleven volunteered, and the network was formed; by 2005, a board was formed, funds were raised, and volunteers had joined. The first honor flight took place in May 2005, when six small planes flew 12 veterans to Washington, DC. Due to high participation, the program began using commercial flights. At the end of 2005, the program had transported 137 veterans to the memorial. In late 2005, Jeff Miller, a dry cleaning company owner in
Hendersonville, North Carolina Hendersonville is a city in and the county seat of Henderson County, North Carolina, United States, located south of Asheville, North Carolina, Asheville. Like the county, the city is named for 19th-century North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Jus ...
, inspired by Morse's vision, had a similar idea but on a larger scale. Miller, the son of a World War II veteran and nephew of a B-24 bomber pilot who died in the war, had been a charter member of the National World War II Memorial Foundation. Like Morse, Miller lamented that many World War II veterans would be unable to visit the memorial. The seed that Morse had planted grew to a veritable forest of volunteerism, fundraising and goodwill toward the
Greatest Generation The Greatest Generation, also known as the G.I. Generation and the World War II Generation, is the demographic cohort following the Lost Generation and preceding the Silent Generation. This generation is generally defined as people born from ...
veterans, who had been too busy building their communities to demand recognition for wartime service. On September 23 and 24 and November 4 in 2006, HonorAir flew more than 300 World War II veterans from the
Asheville Regional Airport Asheville Regional Airport is a Class C airport near Interstate 26 and the town of Fletcher, North Carolina, south of downtown Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the conflue ...
to Washington D.C., free of charge. HonorAir provided everything: a medical doctor and several EMTs, guardians who would attend to the needs of three to four veterans each, tour buses to take them the World War II Memorial and other national memorials, and a box lunch. Ticket agents and passengers lined the ropes as veterans emerged from the charter jets into the terminal. ''
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'' aired a moving feature about the HonorAir effort in September 2006.
Bill Geist William E. Geist is an American retired author, columnist, and television journalist. Early life Geist was born on May 10, 1945, in Champaign, Illinois where he was also raised. He attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, graduati ...
updated the story in 2007 because it was a story that was so important to him. The Springfield group and HonorAir soon merged to form the Honor Flight Network which was headquartered in Springfield, Ohio. Both Jeff Miller and Earl Morse were awarded the
Presidential Citizens Medal The Presidential Citizens Medal is an award bestowed by the president of the United States. It is the second-highest civilian award in the United States and is second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Established by executive order on N ...
in 2008 for their extensive work with bringing the program together. In 2019 Honor Flight national headquarters moved to Arlington Virginia. Many veterans, both men and women, have been honored with flights to Washington D.C.. In 2015 the first all-female Honor Flight was held, with 140 female veterans. On May 21, 2021, Honor Flight celebrated their 16th Anniversary of their first Honor Flight trip. Since that first flight in 2005, Honor Flight has transported over 244,000 veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit their memorials.


Logistics

Flights arrive in any of Washington's three area airports:
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport in Arlington County, Virginia, United States, from Washington, D.C. The closest airport to the nation's capital, it is one of two airports owned by the federal government and ope ...
, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, and
Washington Dulles International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport ( ) – commonly known by its former name of Dulles International Airport, by its airport code of IAD, or simply as Dulles Airport – is an international airport in the Eastern United States, located w ...
.
Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines Co., or simply Southwest, is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States that formerly operated on a low-cost carrier model. It is headquartered in the Love Field, Dallas, Love Field neighborhood ...
is the official commercial airline of the Honor Flight Network, although the network utilizes many national airlines. The veterans on the Honor Flights are escorted by volunteer guardians, who help them on the flight and around the D.C. area. An Honor Flight of 100 people, including veterans and volunteers can cost between $30,000 to $175,000 depending on what area of the country the flight originates from. Costs are covered by donations with assistance from the airline. By 2012, the group had expanded to include 114 chapters; in 2021, the movement had grown to 133 chapters serving veterans in 45 states and the District of Columbia. As of March 2020 Honor Flight has flown more than 244,897 veterans to Washington, D.C..


Heroes' Welcome

Heroes' Welcome is a sub-group of the Honor Flight Network which organizes welcoming ceremonies for the Honor Flights at the three Washington-area airports. Heroes' Welcome is a project of the
American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...
Auxiliary Unit 180 in
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,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. The ceremonies typically involve a group waiting inside or outside the gate where the flight arrives, clapping and cheering as they walk in. Active duty military members are often present, as are other volunteers such as school children.


Triangle Flight of Honor

A similar but independent organization organized flights for veterans in the area of North Carolina known as " The Triangle". The Triangle Flight of Honor has organized eight flights, each serving over 100 veterans. The trips originated from Raleigh Durham International Airport and concluded with a "Heros Welcome" return with marching bands, local celebrities, and attended by thousands of family members, friends, and area residents.


''Honor Flight'' film

The premiere of the 2012 documentary ''Honor Flight: One Last Mission'' at
Miller Park American Family Field is a retractable roof stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Located southwest of the intersection of Interstate 94 in Wisconsin, Interstate 94 and Brewers Boulevard, it is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Brewe ...
in
Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
, Wisconsin, set a new
Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
for the largest attendance at a film premiere: 28,442 people. The film, shown on a video board, depicts the lives of four World War II veterans who were part of the first Honor Flight from Milwaukee's Stars and Stripes Honor Flight Hub.


Legislation

On 9 June 2014, Rep.
Cedric Richmond Cedric Levan Richmond (born September 13, 1973) is an American attorney, politician, and political advisor who is serving as senior advisor to the Democratic National Committee. Richmond was previously a senior advisor to the president and direct ...
(D-LA) introduced the " Honor Flight Act" in Congress. This bill would direct the
Transportation Security Administration The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that has authority over the security of transportation systems within and connecting to the United States. It was created ...
(TSA) to establish a process for providing expedited and dignified passenger screening services for veterans traveling on an Honor Flight to visit war memorials built and dedicated to honor their service. It became law on 16 December of the same year, after being passed in the House and the Senate without amendment.


References


External links

* {{official, https://www.honorflight.org
''Honor Flight''
at
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, 2012 film about World War II veterans and a community. Charities based in Ohio Veterans' affairs in the United States Organizations established in 2005 American veterans' organizations Tourism in Washington, D.C.