Thursday, October 25, 2012

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.

Monday, October 15, 2012

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!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

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!

Monday, October 8, 2012

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.



Sunday, October 7, 2012

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.






Saturday, October 6, 2012

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.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

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!


Tuesday, October 2, 2012

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.





 

Monday, October 1, 2012

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.