Veterans Day

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed Armistice Day for November 11, 1919. In proclaiming the holiday, he said

"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations." ("The History of Veterans Day". United States Army Center of Military History. 3 August 2009)

In 1954, Congress made the change to Veterans Day, the official federal holiday to honor armed service veterans.

On this day, I hope you will take the time to reflect upon the sacrifices of the men and women of our country's military because if not for them, we would not live in the greatest country in the world or enjoy the freedoms we so take for granted.  I especially want to remember and thank my dad and uncles and father-in-law who fought in WWII. If not for them, our lives would be so totally different. They are the Greatest Generation.

In my family, thank you for your service, Royce, Terence, Troy, and my wonderful husband, Garry. And to my dear friend, Randy, who is about to be deployed, thank you for everything you do!

As we near Thanksgiving, I would like to ask that you consider making a donation to support WWII veterans through Honor Flight Fort Worth. You can do this online at www.honorflightfortworth.org or mail your donation to HFFW, PO Box 24191, Fort Worth, TX 76124. We are a 501(c)3 public charity and all donations are tax-deductible.

Veteran's Day Freebies

As we approach Veteran's Day on Sunday, many restaurants are offering free meals or appetizers. Here is a link to many of them!
http://militarybenefits.info/veterans-day-discounts-sales-deals-free-meals/

Video from our 1st Flight

The 1st flight for  Honor Flight Fort Worth was October 25, 2011. We took 11 WWII veterans and 11 guardians to Washington, DC to see the WWII Memorial. 9 men and 2 women made the trip. Here is a video about them and about Honor Flight Fort Worth.

DFW News Flash 10-24 Article

DFW News Flash 10-17 Article

DFW News Flash 10-10 Article

Spring Flight Dates

Two Iwo Jima Veterans sharing memories on our 10-16 flight at the WWII Memorial

We have tentatively set our spring flight dates for April 23 and April 30. Now we need help raising funds for those flights! As we approach the end of the year, won't you consider making a donation to Honor Flight Fort Worth to help us send every WWII veteran to Washington, DC to see the WWII Memorial? Time is of the essence as these heroes are passing at the rate of 1000-1200 a day. It took 60 years for a memorial to be built to honor this Greatest Generation. Without their sacrifices and service, we would not enjoy the freedoms we have today.

Captain Robert Bennett, Commander of the NAS JRB Fort Worth, said these words at our Oct 7 Meet-N-Greet to our WWII Veterans:

"You, our warriors, literally turned the tide and made America what it is today and you all should be proud, and confident, and know every day when you get up and look in the mirror what you’ve done, not only for America, but for our world."

“You as World War II veterans, and Korean veterans, and Vietnam veterans literally set the stage and tone for what America is today. You changed the whole dynamics of the world. Before World War II, we were not a world power. We were lucky enough to take the fight to them. That’s number one. We must always remember to take the fight to them, and you did. You knew it was win or lose. There was no in-between…and you won, thank God. Remind people what you gave – what you sacrificed so they can live their lives today the way they do."

“The foundation that you built was America. You not only turned the tide of war, but you made America an economic powerhouse. It just warms me to be here with you today. We cannot say ‘Thank you’ enough."

“I’m humbled to be here in your presence. Every single day, we are so indebted to you for your service, for your sacrifice, for what you and your families have endured. You are America. We who serve today only hope to live up to your legacy, to continue to put forth that foundation to make sure the next generation gets to enjoy what we’ve enjoyed because of the sacrifices that have been made by so few, but so many get to enjoy. Be proud of who you are."

“You are America’s treasures; you will always be America’s treasurers.” 

Please help us honor these treasures by going to our website, www.honorflightfortworth.org, and make a donation online or mail your donation to Honor Flight Fort Worth, PO Box 24191, Fort Worth, TX 76124.

October 16 Flight

Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 16, 2012, will be our final flight for the fall season. We will be taking 26 WWII veterans to see the WWII Memorial in Washington, DC. Accompanying them will be 22 guardians, among them Scott Murray and several sons, daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters! Among our veterans are 2 Iwo Jima survivors,  Battle of the Bulge survivors, and Purple Heart recipients! What an honor to be able to thank these heroes of the Greatest Generation!

Our itinerary includes the WWII Memorial, the Korea and Vietnam Memorials, the FDR Memorial, the Iwo Jima Monument, Arlington National Cemetery for the Changing of the Guard, and the Air Force Memorial.

Thanks goes to American Airlines for their support and for providing volunteer medical personnel! Special thanks to Toni Russell from the Veterans Initiatives Department! You are awesome!

October 10 Flight

Tomorrow, October 10, 2012, Honor Flight Fort Worth takes its 3rd flight of WWII veterans to Washington, DC to see the WWII Memorial. On this flight will be 24 WWII veterans and 1 Korea War veteran along with 22 guardians, several of whom are sons and daughters of these veterans. Our oldest veteran is 97 years young! There will be 2 brothers on this flight and some best buds!

The outbound flight AA 1248 leaves at 6:20 am from gate C2 at DFW International Airport. The inbound flight AA 445 returns at 10:25 pm at gate C4. We would love to well wishers come out to see these men of the Greatest Generation off on this memorable event or welcome them home!

Meet Capt George Sumner

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians.

Meet Capt George Sumner
Capt George Sumner, 91, served in the Signal Corp of the Army Air Corp during WWII. He was part of the 12th Tactical Air Command.  Established on 20 August 1942 at Bolling Field, District of Columbia, 12 AF was a United States Army Air Forces combat air force deployed to the European Theater of World War II. It engaged in operations in North Africa, the Mediterranean, France and Germany. Capt Sumner will be going on our Oct 10 flight.

Meet Cpl Ken Nelson

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians.

Meet Cpl Ken Nelson
Cpl Ken Nelson, 89, served in the Army Air Corp as a Radio operator during WWII. He flew the "Hump," the name given by Allied pilots in the WWII to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from India to China to resupply the Chinese war effort of Chiang Kai-shek and the units of the United States Army Air Forces based in China. Creating an airlift presented the USAAF a considerable challenge in 1942: it had no units trained or equipped for moving cargo, and no airfields existed in India for basing the large number of transports that would be required. Flying over the Himalayas was extremely dangerous and made more difficult by a lack of reliable charts, an absence of radio navigation aids, and a dearth of information about the weather. Cpl Nelson will be going on our October 10 flight.

Meet-N-Greet for October 10 and 16 Flights

On Sunday, October 7, we will have our Meet-N-Greet for our flights on October 10 and October 16. At this time, each veteran going on the flight will get a chance to meet their guardian as well as find out all the details about the flight. We are excited that Capt Robert Bennett, commander of the NAS JRB will make a short speech to veterans. The Western Hills High School JROTC Honor Guard will make a presentation of colors.

Meet Seaman 1st Class Tom Weaver

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians.

Meet Seaman 1st Class Tom Weaver
Seaman 1st Class Tom Weaver, 90, will be going on our October 10th flight.  S1Cl Weaver served in the USN aboard the USS North Carolina. His job was to keep the guns loaded and the decks clean at all times!

Meet Seaman 1st Class Henry P. Smith

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians.

Meet Seaman 1st Class Henry P. Smith
Seaman 1st Class Henry Smith, 87, served in the United States Navy during WWII. He will be going on our October 10th flight. S1C Smith spent time on ships in the North Atlantic and South Pacific transporting men and equipment.

 

Meet Sgt James Harmon

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians. We still need donations for our October 16 flight!

Meet Sgt James Harmon
Sgt James Harmon, 87, will be going on our October 16th flight. Sgt Harmon served in United States Army during WWII in the Atlantic Theater in France and Belgium. He saw combat during the Battle of the Bulge. Sgt Harmon is a Purple Heart recipient.

  

Meet 1st Lt Marvin Houston

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians. We still need donations for our October 16 flight!

Meet 1st Lt Marvin Houston
On our October 16 flight, we will be taking 1st Lt Marvin Houston. 1st Lt Houston served in the Army after graduating in ROTC from Alabama Polytechnic, now Auburn University. He served as company commander in the Army Signal Corps in Nuremberg, Germany as part of the Occupation Forces. His unit was responsible for maintaining the army's communication system in the Nuremberg area.

  

Meet Cpl Bill Patterson

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians. We still need donations for our October 16 flight!

Meet CPL Bill Patterson
On our October 10, Cpl Bill Patterson will accompany his brother, 1st Lt Jim Patterson on an Honor Flight to see the WWII memorial. Their sons will go along as their guardians. Cpl Bill Patterson, 89, served in Army Air Corp in the 8th Air Force. He primary responsibility was a weather observer in the Atlantic Theater in England and Sweden.

Meet PFC Charles Vanderbilt

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians. We still need donations for our October 16 flight!

Meet PFC Charles Vanderbilt
PFC Charles Vanderbilt, 92, served in the United States Army during WWII. He will be going on our October 10 flight. While in the Phillipine Islands, PFC Vanderbilt was on the beach when General MacArthur "returned" to the Phillipines.  He was also part of General MacArthur's island hopping forces. Following the war, PFC Vanderbilt served in the occupation of Japan.

 

Meet Col Frank "No Sweat" Jackson

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians. We still need donations for our October 16 flight!

Meet Col Frank "No Sweat" Jackson
Col Frank "No Sweat" Jackson, 91, served in the Army Air Corp during WWII. He will be traveling with us on the October 10 flight. Col Jackson flew 20 missions over Japan for the 504th Bomb Group.  The 504th Bombardment Group flew the last combat mission by the United States Army Air Forces of World War II, its last combat mission being on 15 August 1945.

  

Meet Lt JG Roy Moore

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians. We still need donations for our October 16 flight!

Meet Lt JG Roy Moore
A pilot in the USN, Lt JG Roy Moore, 88,  will be going on our October 16 flight. During WWII he flew torpedo bombers and SB2C dive bombers off of aircraft carriers. 

  

Meet 1st Lt James M. Brown

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians. We still need donations for our October 16 flight!

Meet 1st Lt James M. Brown
1st Lt James M. Brown, 94, served in the Army during WWII. He was in the 90th Infantry Division when it was hit by German artillery. During this battle, 1st Lt Brown suffered injuries that resulted in the loss of his arm. 1st Lt Brown will be going on our October 10 flight.

  

Meet HMC Otis Chasteen

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians. We still need donations for our October 16 flight!

Meet HMC Otis Chasteen
On our October 16 flight will be Hospital Medical Corpsman Otis Chasteen, 88.  In WWII, hospital corpsmen hit the beach with Marines in every battle in the Pacific. Hospital Corpsmen are frequently the only medical care-giver available in many fleet or Marine units on extended deployment. HMC Chasteen served in the Pacific Theatre aboard the USS Bandera, the USS Herald of the Morning,  and the USS Pasadena.

 

Meet Cpl Raymond Marshall, Sr

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians. We still need donations for our October 16 flight!

Meet Cpl Raymond Marshall, Sr
We will be taking Cpl Raymond Marshall, Sr, 91, on our October 10 flight. Cpl Marshall was a .30 and .50 caliber machine gunner for the Army during WWII. Cpl Marshall was awarded the Bronze Star during his service in WWII. He also received the Victory Ribbon and 5 Good Conduct Medals.

Meet 1st Lt James Patterson

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians. We still need donations for our October 16 flight!

Meet 1st Lt James Patterson

1st Lt James Patterson, 91,  will be going on the October 10 flight. 1st Lt Patterson served in the Army Air Corps during WWII. He was a B-25 pilot flying in a photo reconnaissance/mapping squadron of the 13th Air Force Unit. He flew all missions in the Phillipines.

Meet Cpl Harry Whisler

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians. We still need donations for our October 16 flight!

Meet Cpl Harry Whisler

Cpl Harry Whisler from Granbury, TX is 90 years young and will be going on October 10th flight. He was a medic in 1st Infantry Batallion of the 10th Armored Division of Patton's 3rd Army. During the Battle of the Bulge, the 10th Armored Division was the first unit to move north in an attempt to stop the German assault.

Meet PFC Keifer Marshall, Jr

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians. We still need donations for our October 16 flight!

Meet PFC Keifer Marshall, Jr

PFC Keifer Marshal, Jr served in the USMC during WWII, Third Marine Division, 9th Regiment, F Company, 2nd Battalion, and was a rifleman. In February and March of 1945 he was involved in the bloodiest battle in the history of the United States Marine Corps, The Battle of Iwo Jima. During this battle his company was cut off from reinforcements and supplies for 36 hours, and out of of the 250 men in his company, he was one of three or four who survived - all others were killed. The casualties incurred by the F Company were the severest of the entire campaign.

This picture was chosen by the USMC as one of the 5 photographs to go into history books about the Third Marine Division to depict the Battle of Iwo Jima. Keifer remembered the photographer asking them their name and serial number after the picture was taken. But, as the photographer ran away, a shell exploded where he was and both men thought the photographer had been killed.  Both Keifer and Griffin (the other man in the foxhole) thought the other had been killed in action. They did not know each other -- had only jumped into the same foxhole during the battle and neither had seen each other or the picture until the Marine Corps invited them to Washington on the 25th Anniversary of the battle.

Caption: Defense Dept Photo (Marine Corps)
3/45  Photog: Sgt Bob Cooke
STEAM HEATED FOX HOLE IN A PACIFIC HOT SPOT-Two Marines in a hole hastily dug from smoking sulphur rook (note mine and refinery in background) stand ready to repel Japanese snipers, many of them in Marine uniform. Left to right: Pvt Robert K. Marshall, 991007, and Cpl Allen L. Griffin, 462189.

Meet Radioman 2nd Class Melvin McClendon

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians. We still need donations for our October 16 flight!

Meet Radioman 2nd Class Melvin McClendon

In October 1942, Melvin McClendon enlisted in the Navy straight off the farm and was sent to the Naval Station Great Lakes for boot camp. He went to radio school where he was in the top 20 of that class. There he learned the German and Japanese radio codes. He served in the Atlantic and the Pacific theater intercepting German and Japanese code using D/F (Direction Finding) equipment to locate the enemy submarines. Once the locations were called in, the subs were usually bombed within a short period of time. Towards the end of the war, he was shipped back to Seattle to learn the Russian codes and then shipped to China as the war ended.

RM 2C McClendon met his wife Louise during boot camp through her brother. Louise would send her brother cookies and Melvin would eat them. In 1946, he got permission to write her and later they were married. Those must have been great cookies!

Meet Lt Col Walter "Gene" Rainwater

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians. We still need donations for our October 16 flight!

Meet Lt Col Walter "Gene" Rainwater

Lt Col Gene Rainwater served in the Army Air Corps during WWII. He was a navigator and instructor during the war. Lt Col Rainwater will be going on our October 10 flight. He is our oldest veteran at 97 years young!

Meet CPO Herb Watts

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians. We still need donations for our October 16 flight!

Meet Chief Petty Officer Herb Watts

CPO Herb Watts was 19 years old when he survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was a crew member aboard the USS Tangier.  CPO Watts will be going on our October 10 flight.

From Wikipedia about the USS Tangier's role at Pearl Harbor:
"At 07:55 on the morning of 7 December 1941, the first of two waves of Japanese carrier-based planes swooped in on the Pacific Fleet, moored at Pearl Harbor. Tangier—still abaft Utah and commanded by future Vice Admiral Clifton Sprague—was in the fight from the beginning. Her klaxon sounded general quarters three minutes later, and by 08:00 her anti-aircraft batteries opened up on the swarm of "meatball"-emblazoned planes. During the ensuing melee, Tangier′s gunners claimed three enemy planes and hits on a midget submarine which had penetrated the harbor's defenses. She and another seaplane tender—Curtiss—shelled the submarine, but the destroyer Monaghan finished it off with a two-pronged attack, subjecting it to a ramming and following up with a cascade of depth charges. By 09:20, the skies were clear of planes, and only the smoke from the burning ships and shore installations remained. Tangier began rescuing survivors from the capsized Utah."

Meet 1st Lt Valleau Wilkie, Jr

Honor Flight Fort Worth will be taking 2 flights in October to Washington, DC to visit the WWII Memorial. The flights will be on October 10 and October 16 on American Airlines out of DFW International Airport. Each flight will have 26-27 WWII veterans and their guardians.

Meet 1st Lt Valleau Wilkie, Jr.
 
Former Executive Director of the Sid Richardson Foundation, and WWII veteran Valleau Wilkie, Jr will be going with us on the October 16 flight. 1st Lt Wilkie was in the AAC flying B-17 over Germany when he was shot down. He spent a few months trying to get back to England through the Dutch and Belgium Underground but ultimately ended up in the hands of the German Gestapo. He was a POW until April of 1945 when he was liberated from Stalag Luft 7A by the Allied Forces.