IAD Honor Flight Volunteers & Greeters
Welcome
Thank you for your interest in Honor Flight. We would LOVE to have you come join us at Dulles International Airport.
The Honor Flight Network flys veterans from hubs all over the country to visit THEIR memorials in Washington, D.C. and Virginia. There is no charge at all to the veterans for their Day of Honor in D.C.
Our greatest need is to have greeters at the airport. Many of us assume that our veterans had a warm welcome when they arrived home from the battle front. That may have been the case for returning GIs from World War II. It certainly was not the case for Vietnam veterans. Many have told us that they didn’t receive ANY welcome home and thus thought that they have been forgotten and were not appreciated.
Our basic role is to meet, greet, and thank them with as much patriotic spirit as we can muster. We decorate, play patriotic music, and thank them for their service to our country. The more smiling faces in the crowd to let them know — WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOUR SACRIFICE — the better!
Honor Flights Mission & Goals
GOAL: Helping every single veteran in America, willing and able to board a plane or a bus, to visit THEIR memorials.
PRIORITY: Top priority is given to America’s most senior heroes — World War II era veterans, and any veteran with a terminal illness who wishes to visit THEIR memorial. The program has transitioned to Korean War, Vietnam War and all other veterans who served, on a chronological basis.
ELIGIBILITY: All men and women serving stateside or overseas.
PHILOSOPHY: Since America felt it was important to build a memorial to the various armed services to honor the ultimate sacrifice of her veterans, the Honor Flight Network believes it’s equally important that these Veterans actually get to visit and experience THEIR memorials.
MOTTO: “We can’t all be heroes. Some of us have to stand on the curb and clap as they go by.” – Will Rogers
Recent News
Many Thanks!
We are taking a few moments to thank two of our heavy-hitting volunteers — Jennifer Jamison and Dave Benbennick.
Jennifer joined the Ground Crew in 2012 and has been the backbone behind our e-mail, website, and Facebook efforts, even after moving to Roanoke several years ago. All of those e-mail notices, sign-up lists, informational posts, and other communications that you receive have come via Jennifer. While her profession is not in the IT world, she self-taught the procedures for WordPress, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Facebook, and other tools necessary to keep us all informed. At times, it has been total chaos for her because of the complicated nature of the tools we use to keep you informed. She has performed all this effort while not being able to see the veterans she serves because of her distance from Dulles. Due to job demands and caring for her family, Jennifer has decided to step away from this role. We owe her many thanks for all of her efforts!
Dave has been known as OxygenMan to all of the Honor Flight hubs that come to Dulles and Reagan National airports. Since June of 2008, any veteran who needed oxygen during their visit to their memorials and for the flight home has had the support of Dave. He worked with the hubs to identify what type of oxygen supply was needed, handled the pickup and return of the bottles and concentrators, and ensured that no veteran missed his Day of Honor because oxygen was not available. He has put thousands of miles on his car, donated hundreds of hours of his time, and periodically purchased ice and water for the buses. For all of his efforts, we and all of the veterans he has served salute him!
Join us in welcoming Honor Flights to Washington DC! We coordinate greeting our WWII, Korean, and Vietnam veterans at Dulles International Airport (IAD).
*** This group is 100% volunteer ***
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