Honor Flights are an opportunity to honor and thank the Americans who secured our freedom by bringing them to the nation’s capital to see the memorials that commemorate their service. Since 2005, the Honor Flight Network has helped make it possible for more than 200,000 veterans from all services to visit Washington and other memorial sites from more than 130 locations across the country.

The Flight

A group of 12 World War II veterans recently journeyed from Austin, Texas, to the nation’s capital to join others in remembering the fallen and honoring those who served.

veteran placing a wreath in Washington on Pearl Harbor day

Like all Honor Flights, the veterans represented a tapestry of war experiences, battles and services. They included noncommissioned and commissioned officers; sailors, soldiers and airmen; and those who fought in the Pacific theater and on the European front. This mission was in tribute to the 77th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Due to age, illness or financial difficulty, many veterans are unable to travel on their own to the nation’s capital to visit the monuments that honor their wartime service. Honor flights allow them a chance to experience those monuments in person and with a group of their peers.

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Flying With Heroes

The honorees, many in their 90s, are accompanied each step of the way by guardians who volunteer to take care of each veteran both on the ground and in the air. One extra special flight to Hawaii even featured celebrity service.

"The Honor's All Mine"

Veterans and their guardians are met by well-wishers, including current service members, who cheer and salute the traveling veterans. Check out these snapshots from some of the many Honor Flights around the country.

A man pushes a woman in a wheelchair through a crowd of people.

Veteran's Welcome - Supporters welcome veterans returning to Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, Fla., May 21, 2016, after an Honor Flight visit to Washington.

A group of children holding miniature American flags greet a veteran in a wheelchair being pushed by an airman.

Elementary School Greeters - Elementary school children greet veterans from the Northeast Indiana Honor Flight at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., May 20, 2015.

Friendly Conversation - Air Force Master Sgt. Peggee Larkin talks with a World War II veteran at Denver International Airport, May 3, 2015. The veteran was heading to Washington as part of an Honor Flight.

A man being pushed in a wheelchair by a woman shakes hands with sailors lined up in an airport terminal.

Honor Flight Handshake - Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Talisha Williams shakes hands with a Pearl Harbor survivor arriving at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Dec. 3, 2016, as part of a special Honor Flight to Hawaii to mark the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

A child hands a man in a wheelchair an American flag as the man is being pushed in-between two rows of people.

Child's Gift - Pearl Harbor survivor Jim Leavelle receives a flag from a child after arriving at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Dec. 3, 2016, as part of a special Honor Flight to Hawaii to mark the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

A woman kneels beside another woman sitting in a wheelchair.

Rosie's Arrival - One of more than 30 Michigan-based "Rosie the Riveters" arrives at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., March 22, 2016. She made the trip as part of a special Honor Flight to honor the Rosies — women who entered the workforce during World War II as male enlistment left gaping holes in the industrial labor force.

A soldier shares a laugh with a veteran.

Veteran Smile - Army Staff Sgt. Adam Cunningham shares a laugh with a veteran during an Honor Flight return ceremony at SeaTac International Airport, Wash., Oct. 15, 2018.

A woman and her dog greet a World War II veteran as he arrives at an airport.

Furry Greeting - Joan Danzansky and her therapy dog Biscuit greet World War II Army veteran Billy Edwards at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., April 14, 2018. Veterans from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War received a hero’s welcome as they arrived on Honor Flights for a daylong tour of the national war memorials in Washington D.C. DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando

Three men stand behind two men in wheelchairs.

Veterans Mingling - Army Lt. Col. Stephen Jang mingles with veterans shortly before they board an Honor Flight at the Quad City International Airport, Ill., Oct. 27, 2016.

Sailors talk with veterans sitting in an airport seating area decorated with balloons.

Seattle Welcome - Service members welcome veterans at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Wash. Oct. 16, 2017, as they return home from an all-expenses-paid trip to tour memorials in Washington, D.C. Puget Sound Honor Flight, a nonprofit organization, sponsored the trip. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Alex Van’tLeven

A woman shakes hands with a veteran in a wheelchair at an airport terminal.

Hero's Welcome - World War II veteran Olvis Osbourn receives a hero’s welcome as he arrives at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., Dec. 6, 2018, as part of an Honor Flight from Austin, Texas, that brought World War II veterans to the nation’s capital for the 77th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

A group of people stand along both sides of a road saluting and waving at a bus driving by.

Honor Salute - Service members salute and onlookers wave at a bus of veterans after their arrival at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., May 20, 2015. The veterans traveled to Washington as part of the Northeast Indiana Honor Flight.

A woman holds the hand of a man as they stand at the top of stairs looking down at a large group of people.

Airport Welcome - A crowd welcomes World War II veteran Arthur McCurry at Greenville – Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina, April 21, 2015, upon his return after an Honor Flight to Washingon. McCurry was a radio operator with the Army’s 44th Infantry Division.

"It brought me to tears, all the applause going through the airport in Austin and again here in Washington."

- David Fleming Army Air Corps veteran

"It brought me to tears, all the applause going through the airport in Austin and again here in Washington."

- David Fleming Army Air Corps veteran

The Veterans

This trip to Washington included dinner, a welcome ceremony and visits to several memorials, and culminated with a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day event at the National World War II Memorial. There, veterans placed wreaths at the memorial’s Freedom Wall and were recognized for their service.

veteran at wreath ceremony in Washington on Pearl Harbor day

More About Their Visit

Three-War Hero

From high school dropout to college grad and colonel in the Army — this veteran has no regrets.

Retired Army Col. Frederick Clinton, a veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, was 14 years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Two years later, he dropped out of school, lied about his age and joined the Army. Now in his 90s, he shares his thoughts during a ceremony honoring WWII veterans.

Retired Air Force Col. Frederick Clinton enlisted at age 16 and saw action in WWII, Vietnam and Korea, while going from enlisted airman to officer. Now in his 90s, he shares his thoughts during a ceremony honoring WWII veterans at the National WWII Memorial in Washington.

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See more snapshots of Honor Flight activities around the country.

A group of people stand in a circle around a man speaking.

General Talk - Air Force Lt. Gen. Arnold W. Bunch Jr. speaks to veterans and other attendees during a Georgia Honor Flight visit to the World War II Memorial in Washington, April 30, 2016.

A group of people greet a woman in a wheelchair.

Veteran Greeting - Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian MacMurchy greets a veteran participating in an Honor Flight at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, April 5, 2014. He and two fellow sailors drove three hours from their detachment at Fort Pickett in Blackstone, Va., to greet the veterans.

A group of people sitting in wheelchairs.

Korean War Vets - Korean War veterans attend an event at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, Sept. 24, 2016, while visiting as part of an Asheville, N.C., Honor Flight.

Two men face each other as one man points to a wall.

Monumental Veteran - Marine Corps veteran Jim Devasher, a Bowling Green, Ky., native, points a name out on the Vietnam War Memorial wall in Washington, July 25, 2015. Army Staff Sgt. David Payton accompanied Devasher as his guardian on his Honor Flight trip to the nation's capital.

Veteran Memorial - Navy veteran Florence Lessard, center right, visits the National World War II Memorial in Washington, April 5, 2014.

A group or veterans sitting in wheelchairs clap.

Veteran Applause - Veterans with the Old Glory Honor Flight's Northeast Wisconsin chapter applaud during a performance at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va., June 7, 2017.

Girl Scouts holding yellow roses stand in a group.

Girl Scout Greeters - Girl Scouts wait in Alexandria, Va., to greet World War II veterans visiting the nation's capital as part of a special Honor Flight from Austin, Texas, Dec. 6, 2018, to mark the 77th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.

A man looks up at artwork on a memorial wall.

Memorial Visit - Paul Bowker, an Army World War II veteran, looks at bronze artwork at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, April 30, 2016, while traveling as part of a Syracuse, N.Y., Honor Flight.

A veteran in a wheelchair flanked by smiling hula dancers smiles for a photo.

Chavez and Company - The oldest living Pearl Harbor survivor, Ray Chavez, 104, takes a photo with hula dancers upon arrival at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Dec. 3, 2016, as part of a special Honor Flight marking the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

A group of women standing and a group of women sitting in wheelchairs watch a ceremony.

Female Honor Flight - Women from the first all-female Honor Flight watch a changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Sept. 22, 2015.

New Friends - World War II Army veteran and Honor Flight participant David Friedrich talks with Girl Scouts in Alexandria, Va., Dec. 6, 2018.

Honor Flight Reunion - Harold Bradley and Harry Miller, World War II Army veterans, reunite during an Honor Flight trip at the World War II Memorial in Washington, April 30, 2016. Both Bradley and Miller served at the Battle of the Bulge in the same unit and were able to reunite when Bradley was selected to participate in an Honor Flight out of Houston.

People wave small American flags as a veteran in a wheelchair proceeds past hem in an airport hall.

Capital Welcome - A crowd of people welcome Mary “Polly” Adelaide Woodhull Lipscomb, a veteran Army nurse, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., May 20, 2015. At 101, Lipscomb was the oldest veteran participating in a Northeast Indiana Honor Flight.

A veteran shakes hands with another person.

Alaska Homecoming - William Watson, a Korean War veteran, shakes hands with people upon returning to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Alaska, Oct. 20, 2018, after returning from Washington, D.C., as part of a Last Frontier Honor Flight.

A group of young girls greet an old man.

Grateful Girl - Girl Scouts welcome World War II Navy veteran Bill Cain, 90, as he returns to Greenville, S.C., from an Honor Flight to Washington, April 21, 2015. Cain was a machinist’s mate on the USS Mississippi during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, widely considered the largest naval battle in modern history.

To me this is a privilege. It's an honor to be on the Honor Flight. I think they're great people and I hope every vet can have the same experience."

- Buddy Sutton Navy veteran

"To me this is a privilege. It's an honor to be on the Honor Flight. I think they're great people and I hope every vet can have the same experience."

- Buddy Sutton Navy veteran

A Final Flight

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Raymond Schaaf passed away just 10 days after taking flight with Honor Flight Austin to view the National WWII Memorial in Washington. Before he passed, he shared a memory of his first combat mission in the skies over Germany.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Raymond Schaaf passed away just ten days after taking flight with Honor Flight Austin to view the National WWII Memorial in Washington. Before he passed, he shared a memory of his first combat mission in the skies over Germany.

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Flights of Honor

The Flight

Flying With Heroes

The Veterans

Three-War Hero

A Final Flight

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