140+ Honor Flight Arrivals
160+ Honor Flight Departures
13+ Honor Flight Bus Trips
7,130+ Veterans Greeted
217 Tour Guides Provided
250+ DC Guardians Provided (many at the last second!)

Our Veterans rave about the greetings that they get at the airport — for many, it is the highlight of their trip! We just wanted to take a moment to thank all of our wonderful volunteers for an absolutely incredible fall 2015 DCA Honor Flight season!! We couldn’t provide these warm welcomes without you. Have a wonderful and relaxing off-season and we’ll see you all next spring!

Many people have asked about the crewneck yellow sweatshirts. We can order another batch this fall/winter but each volunteer will be responsible for covering the cost of the sweatshirt – $20. We will collect payment before placing the final order (PayPal or Venmo) and then arrange a couple of dates and times to hand out the sweatshirts that were ordered.

We cannot order until at least 24 people express interest (the smallest batch we can get) and then delivery and printing will take an additional 3-5 weeks to receive the shirts. We will keep you up to date with the timeline as we learn more!

Please go to this link to fill out a form if you are serious about purchasing a sweatshirt and we will get them ordered!

Veteran’s Day is just two short weeks away! There are many opportunities to join us in celebrating our nation’s Veterans that day. Here is a sampling of the events we have been made aware of in the DC area:

Arlington National Cemetery – November 11, 2015, 11 a.m. Across the Potomac from Washington at the west end of the Memorial Bridge, Arlington, Virginia. (703) 607-8000 This is the national Veterans day service with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Seating in the amphitheater is limited, so visitors should plan to arrive at least a half hour before the ceremony.

Women In Military Service For America Memorial – November 11, 2015,  3:00 p.m. Located at the Gateway to Arlington National Cemetery.  The ceremony is free and open to the public and will include formal military honors, a keynote address, veterans’ remarks, and a wreath laying.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial – November 11, 2015, 1 p.m. Constitution Avenue and Henry Bacon Dr. NW, Washington, DC. Color guard, speakers and a wreath-laying ceremony pay tribute to all who served and sacrificed during the Vietnam War America’s other conflicts.

Vietnam Women’s Memorial – November 11, 2015, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.and 2-4 p.m. Constitution Avenue and Henry Bacon Drive, NW Washington, DC. (301) 314-8505. Vietnam-era veterans and the children of veterans tell stories “in their own voices” about their experiences. There will also be stories featuring soldiers of the current struggles in Iraq and Afghanistan and other locations around the world.

World War II Memorial – November 11, 2015, 9 a.m. 17th Street, between Constitution and Independence Avenues, NW Washington, DC. (202) 619-7222. Wreath laying ceremony.

Navy Memorial – November 11, 2015. 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC. (202)737-2300. The Naval District of Washington will lay a wreath, at the Lone Sailor Statue in commemoration of Veterans Day.

Air Force Memorial – November 11, 2015, 11 a.m. One Air Force Memorial Drive, Arlington, VA. Wreath laying ceremony and a two-minute moment of silence will be observed to commemorate those members of the U.S. armed forces who were killed during war.

National Cathedral Veterans Day Tribute Concert – 2015 Date to Be Announced, 7:00 p.m. 3101 Wisconsin Ave NW Washington, DC. Washington National Cathedral will honor the service of the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, veterans and their families with a concert tribute, featuring the U.S. Marine Corps Orchestra, Washington National Cathedral Singers and selections from American War Letters. The event is free and open to the public with no ticketing required.

Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens – November 11, 2015. Mount Vernon, Virginia. Special activities include a patriotic community concert by the all-veteran barbershop chorus at 11 a.m., at 2 p.m. wreathlaying at the tomb of our first commander-in-chief, George Washington. Active duty military personnel and veterans are admitted free-of-charge. The wreathlaying is included with regular Mount Vernon admission. The barbershop concert and Martha Washington program are free.

Manassas Veterans Day Parade – November 7, 2015, 11 a.m. Manassas, Virginia. The community parade includes military and high school bands, pipe and drum corps teams, military units from the various Armed Services, military vehicles, and members from local veteran organizations.

National Marine Corps Museum – 2015 Date to Be Announced, noon. 18900 Jefferson Davis Highway, Triangle, Virginia. (800) 397-7585. Celebrate the Marine Corps Birthday and Veterans Day with a ceremonial sword cake cutting.

Maryland Public Television: Salute to the Troops – November 11, 2015. Tune in to watch the program at 8pm!

American Veterans: A Musical Tribute is a 1 hour special performance to honor our nation’s veterans. The program will air on MPT November 11, 2015 at 8:15pm. For more information, you can visit MPT’s schedule 

You can get a sneak preview by watching last year’s performance here

Honor Flight Capital Region is collecting Veteran’s Day cards for the veterans who have participated in HFCR trips. Everyone is invited to join!

Friends- we recently received a mail call request for a WWII veteran currently in Hospice card, living abroad in Taiwan.

“Mr. Thomaschek is 90 years old and has lived in Asia most of his adult life, most recently in Taiwan.  He is without many financial resources and his care situation isn’t good–the hospice cares almost exclusively for AIDS patients and isn’t well-equipped to meet the needs of someone in his situation.

Mr. Thomaschek was born in New York in the 1920s and is a WWII vet. He entertained the boys with stories from the war years–the weeks spent crossing the Atlantic, the invasion of southern France that he was part of, the liberation of Paris, being injured by an artillery blast and spending months in the hospital before traveling home to New York on the Queen Elizabeth II. He’s led a fascinating life and loves to tell stories.

Mr. Thomaschek never married, though he wanted to. He has no family left in the U.S. We are still trying to figure out if there are any tangible ways we can improve his situation.  He doesn’t speak Chinese and no one at the hospice speaks English; I know he gets lonely and would appreciate cards and notes to send him a little cheer.”

We are calling on everyone to flood Mr. Thomaschek’s hospice room with cards from back home, thanking him for his service and sending him kind words to help fill his day.  Please spread the word to your friends and family!

Note: international mailing prices are higher (currently $1.20 per letter)
Mr. Frank Thomaschek
c/o Mike Everett
PO Box 39-875
Taipei 100
Taiwan, ROC

You can also send domestic to a friend who will be passing along all US cards in one lump batch:

Mr. Frank Thomaschek
C/O Alaina Carter
2700 Dartmouth Rd #9
Alexandria VA 22314

Please note that the Honor Flight scheduled for tomorrow (9/4/15) has been cancelled — please do not show up to greet the flight, as there will be no Veterans on it. We apologize for any confusion. Have a wonderful and safe Labor Day weekend!

A note from the producers of Honor Flight — please take a minute to check it out!

The Friends of the National World War II Memorial is pleased to invite you all to attend the V-J Day 70th Anniversary Commemoration on Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at 10:30 a.m. at the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC.

To commemorate the Allied Forces Victory in the Pacific and the end of World War II, the Friends of the National World War II Memorial and the National Park Service will co-host a very special commemoration on September 2nd at at the WWII Memorial.

As part of the ceremony, World War II veterans and representatives of the United States and the Pacific Theater Allies will lay wreaths at the “Freedom Wall” of the National World War II Memorial.

The September 2nd ceremony is open to the public; however, all attendees that wish to reserve seating
 must register by no later than Monday, August 17, 2015. You are now able to register for the 70th anniversary event on their website (http://www.wwiimemorialfriends.org/v-j-day-70th-anniversary).

UPDATE: Two important greetings on Friday!

4:30pm – DCA Terminal A to greet Veterans from Honor Flight Austin​!
3:15pm – WWII Memorial – greet Ms. Emma, the nation’s oldest Veteran to her memorial!

**please note that due to a change of flight details, there will not be a morning greeting for Ms. Emma at DCA – please meet her at WWII Memorial downtown!