WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) today applauded his colleagues in the Senate for passing S.Res. 695, a resolution he cosponsored along with Senator Dole (R-NC) to commend the Honor Flight Network for its efforts to make it possible for World War II veterans to visit the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC.
“America’s World War II veterans served our country with honor and they deserve the opportunity to see the national memorial that has been erected in Washington in memory of their service,” Burr said. “This resolution recognizes Honor Flight for providing that opportunity to veterans who may not have been able to travel to Washington to see the World War II Memorial otherwise. The memorial represents a token of our gratitude to our nation’s servicemembers and serves as a constant reminder of the heroism and sacrifice of our World War II veterans.”
Honor Flight was created to honor America’s veterans by flying them free of charge to Washington, DC, to visit the national memorials created in their honor. Honor Flight’s first trip was in May 2005 and transported 12 World War II veterans on six small planes. In 2006, Honor Flight transitioned to commercial airline carriers to accommodate the increasing number of veterans interested in participating in the program. Since then, Honor Flight has partnered with HonorAir in Hendersonville, North Carolina and Hero Flight in Provo, Utah to form the Honor Flight Network which currently operates in communities in 31 states. Close to 15,000 veterans have visited the World War II Memorial thanks to the Honor Flight Network.
The resolution also honors Jeff Miller of Hendersonville, North Carolina who helped organize and obtain funding to fly over three hundred World War II veterans to Washington to visit the Memorial. Mr. Miller was also instrumental in reaching out to other people across the country to enlist their help in this cause.