Six small private planes flew 12 veterans from Ohio to Washington, D.C., in 2005 to visit the recently completed World War II Memorial.
Since that first trip and the establishment of the Honor Flight Network, the nonprofit organization has flown 300,000 veterans to the nation’s capital to visit the memorials built to commemorate their service and sacrifice. It’s an all-expenses-paid trip for the veterans.
“We’re tremendously blessed to have a wonderful network of volunteers across the United States who are all committed to the success of this organization,” says Marion Watkins, chief of staff for the Honor Flight Network. “We’re all committed to our shared mission of honoring those men and women who have proudly worn our nation’s uniform.”
Dane Prevatt, a Marine Corps veteran, has made eight Honor Flight trips, the first two as a support guardian for a veteran and the last six as president of Honor Flight of Central Oregon.
“I’m very passionate about this program,” Dane says. “Being a veteran, I understand the struggle a lot of these guys have—some with major struggles— so any way we can help them, to put their demons in a box, to make those demons even more of a distant memory so they’re no longer shouldering a burden, is important. I get a lot out of delivering that for them.
“If an Honor Flight trip starts the healing process, starts the conversation, gets the ball rolling for a veteran, then it’s a good thing.”
Earl Morse, a retired Air Force captain and a physician assistant at a Veterans Affairs clinic in Springfield, Ohio, saw a need for the flights when he talked to patients who were World War II veterans. His passion and concern for veterans started with his father, a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars, and his uncle, a Vietnam veteran.
He asked the veterans if they were planning to see the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Most answered yes, but several months later, when he saw them again and asked if they had visited the memorial, their answer was no.
Earl realized a trip wouldn’t happen for most of these veterans without support as travel became more challenging as they aged. He offered to fly two veterans to Washington, D.C., to see their memorial. After seeing the emotions of those two, Earl pitched the idea for more flights to a local airplane club. Eleven pilots volunteered to join Earl on another trip. The pilots paid for the trips and escorted the veterans around to the different memorials.
Jeff Miller—a dry-cleaning company owner in North Carolina—was inspired by Earl’s effort to support veterans. Jeff, the son of a World War II veteran and nephew of a B-24 bomber pilot who died in the war, is a charter member of the National World War II Memorial Foundation.
“I have a real need to serve the ones who have served me—who have given me my opportunities—and that’s the drive,” Jeff says.
Earl and Jeff worked together to establish Honor Flight, and gradually, 125 hubs formed. The hubs coordinate the trips, tours, volunteers and fundraising efforts, so there are no costs or travel concerns for the veterans.
Earl and Jeff want veterans to have the opportunity to remember lost friends and the chance to heal and share stories. Earl and Jeff were awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2008 for their extensive work in creating Honor Flight and making it a successful, memorable experience for veterans.
Approximately 350 Honor Flight trips are now made annually, bringing about 25,000 veterans a year to the memorials. Despite being older, almost 1,000 World War II veterans made Honor Flight trips in 2022. Due to aging, the number of Korean War veterans has also been dwindling in recent years. This year, most Honor Flight veterans served during the Vietnam War.
Each veteran is paired with a guardian who provides support such as pushing wheelchairs, helping with luggage, offering a helping hand when needed and listening if veterans want to share any stories from their military service.
“A guardian is a traveling companion who shares in the veteran’s experience,” Marion says. “It’s about the veterans, and oftentimes, the veteran will share stories with the guardian that they haven’t shared with their family. The trip may bring stories to the surface, and the guardian is there to listen.”
Jose Lopez, a 21-year Army veteran, made a recent Honor Flight trip as a guardian.
“I want to help support our past veterans, to hopefully provide that closure that they missed,” Jose says, specifically noting the negative reception Vietnam veterans received on their return home. “I’m hoping to show those veterans that they are never forgotten. I really appreciate the Honor Flight program providing those veterans who didn’t get closure the opportunity to get it now.”
Marion says the Honor Flight trips typically include receptions in the airports the veterans travel through and announcements of their presence. In Washington, D.C., depending on time and weather, stops are scheduled at the Vietnam, Korean War, World War I, World War II, Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine memorials. They also visit the George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Martin Luther King memorials; Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; the National Archives Museum; and the U.S. Capitol.
On their flights home, mail call on the airplanes provides veterans with letters and cards that thank them for their service, welcome them home and wish them well. A final celebration wraps up each trip. It usually features a lights-and-siren procession through town and a gathering of several hundred family, friends and well-wishers where the veterans are individually introduced.
Marion says since the World War II and Korean War veterans have aged, Honor Flight trips are now focused on Vietnam veterans.
“We honor and appreciate all of our veterans, of course, but for the Vietnam generation, this experience is hard to describe,” Marion says. “It hits them in a much deeper way because they didn’t get the ticker tape parade, the red carpet rolled out for them. Fifty years later, for them to hear ‘Thank you for your service,’ impacts them in an important way. To repay that generation with an Honor Flight trip is important.”
Dane says he has seen and heard many reactions to the trips by the veterans he has accompanied.
“I’ve had people say, ‘I didn’t know I needed this, but I needed this, and now I can move on. I’ve paid my respect to those who didn’t come home,’” Dane says.
“I’m extremely proud of what I’ve been able to do for veterans, but there are still men and women out there who have not made the trip and who have not been welcomed home properly. I hope they get the opportunity.”
For more information about Florida honor flights, visit honorflightsefl.org or honorflightcentralflorida.org.