Flight Will Take Veterans To Washington, D.C. For Memorial Day

On Friday, May 27, the George H. W. Bush Austin Honor Flight took 48 World War II Veterans and their first "Rosie the Riveter" passenger to visit their memorials in Washington, DC. This is Austin Honor Flight No. 34 and the fourth this year.

In partnership with the Texas Veterans Land Board, Honor Flight Austin named this flight in honor of the 41st President who was a WWII Navy Veteran.

This is a unique Memorial Day weekend flight as Texas residents from across the state were in attendance:

• Austin - 18 WWII Veterans
• Dallas - 13 WWII Veterans
• El Paso - one WWII Veteran
• Amarillo – one WWII Veteran
• Rio Grande Valley - 15 WWII Veterans and one "Rosie the Riveter"

A procession led by the TSA Honor Guard and Austin Police Department Bagpipes and Drum Corps escorted the veterans to their gate.

A welcome home greeting is planned on May 28 at about 10 p.m. The veterans are scheduled to arrive at 10:10 p.m.

The flight is operated and sponsored by Southwest Airlines. The Hilton Austin Airport is also a corporate sponsor of Honor Flight Austin. Lunch and refreshments will be provided to veterans courtesy of ThunderCloud Subs. Trips on Honor Flight are made possible at no cost to the veterans through donations. Honor Flight Austin is a non-profit organization created to honor veterans by transporting them to visit and reflect at their war memorials. Honor Flight Austin serves veterans residing within Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Gillespie, Gonzales, Hays, Lee, Llano, Milam, Travis, and Williamson Counties.

(Source: Honor Flight Austin news release)

FMI: www.honorflightaustin.org