Update: Honor Flight opens up another hub

Heroes' welcome honor flight Honor Flight (www.honorflight.org) brings WWII veterans from all over the country to DC at no charge to visit their World War II Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, and other memorials. I am so pleased to let you know that a new Honor Flight hub has been formed for the Northern VA area and the World War II Memorial. We will be the hosts for the veterans and their guardians who come for this special visit. More than just a visit to the memorial, Honor Flight gives veterans a chance to share their stories and spend time with other World War II veterans. Inspiring connections are often made when veterans realize they served in the same city, or crossed a river safely, because of support they received from the man standing next to him 60 years later. During the formation of this hub, the decision was made to join forces with the American Legion Auxiliary, Dyer-Gunnell Unit 180 in Vienna. Acting under the Auxiliary, we became an official hub on February 11th, and will be called "Heroes Welcome Honor Flight." We are excited about this partnership, as it will continue to be a great asset in getting the word out about our Hub and hosting our honored and precious veterans when flights begin in April. Our website is www.heroeswelcome.org. We will post the dates and origins of flights throughout the season, as well as information to educate the public about the importance of recognizing The Greatest Generation in this way. And we don't just want to serve veterans from outside our area--we know that there are many WWII vets in the Maryland/Virginia/DC region who have never been to their memorial, and we want to help make that happen. If you would like more information about Heroes' Welcome Honor Flight or about how to support this effort, please visit www.heroeswelcome.org, or contact me directly. Thank you for your interest in this effort to serve our veterans. ****** VITAL STATISTICS We are losing more than 1,000 members of this Greatest Generation each day. Honor Flight Network, formed in 2005, has brought more than 35,000 veterans to see their Memorial. The World War II Memorial was built nearly 60 years after the War ended. By that time, most of these veterans were well into their 70s and 80s and no longer had the means or the ability to get there. With the continued support of grateful Americans, veterans of World War II, Korea and Viet Nam have seen the memorials built to honor their suffering and sacrifice to keep this great nation free and a world leader. In 2005: HFN safely transported 137 veterans In 2006: 891 veterans In 2007: more than 5,000 veterans In 2008: 11,137 veterans In 2009: 17,832 veterans and 8,704 guardians on 278 flights! EDITOR'S NOTE: The Honor Flight Network article appeared in the February 2010 issue of Sugar Producer magazine. The author of that article, Ruthann Geib, ASGA Vice President, has had so many positive comments about the article that we felt as a staff at Sugar Producer we needed to give you the latest information and welcome any thoughts or comments on this heartfelt and positive organization. If you would like a copy of the magazine please send an email or call Nancy Sanchez, at 208-542-2266 or nancy@sugarproducer.com