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- Honor Flight: Recognizing our War Heroes
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- Stephen Grant
Following the building of the World War II Memorial honoring these heroes, former U.S. Senator Robert Dole of Kansas helped develop a project called “Honor Flight.” The non-profit organization seeks to honor America’s veterans, with particular emphasis on transporting World War II survivors and other veterans to Washington D.C. to see the memorials built in their honor. But time is short because 2008 statistics show World War II’s aging veterans are dying at the rate of about 1,000 a day.
With direction from the Honor Flight Network headquarters in Washington D.C., World War II veterans travel free of charge on Honor Flight trips sponsored by locally-organized groups. One such flight, called Honor Flight-Winnebago, brought 102 North Iowa and Southern Minnesota veterans, along with accompanying escorts called Guardians. Honor Flight-Winnebago’s chartered aircraft took off and landed at Mason City, Iowa’s airport on April 18, 2009.
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Piece Description
Following the building of the World War II Memorial honoring these heroes, former U.S. Senator Robert Dole of Kansas helped develop a project called “Honor Flight.” The non-profit organization seeks to honor America’s veterans, with particular emphasis on transporting World War II survivors and other veterans to Washington D.C. to see the memorials built in their honor. But time is short because 2008 statistics show World War II’s aging veterans are dying at the rate of about 1,000 a day.
With direction from the Honor Flight Network headquarters in Washington D.C., World War II veterans travel free of charge on Honor Flight trips sponsored by locally-organized groups. One such flight, called Honor Flight-Winnebago, brought 102 North Iowa and Southern Minnesota veterans, along with accompanying escorts called Guardians. Honor Flight-Winnebago’s chartered aircraft took off and landed at Mason City, Iowa’s airport on April 18, 2009.
Broadcast History
First Broadcast on Iowa Public Radio, May 25th, 2009
Transcript
(Nat sound of lobby noise)
It’s well before dawn . . . but Mason City’s airport lobby is jammed.
Men and women - some in wheel chairs - many wearing parts of old military uniform, are moving among registration tables . . .
“What town are you from?”
“I’m from West Bend.”
“Dave Kingland. Don’t I have to sign anything?”
“Don’t sign anything. You’ll have another enlistment.”
“Yeah, that’s right!”
“You might get back in!”
They’re getting dog tag identification and boarding passes for a charter flight to Washington D.C.
“There’s your dog tags. Gotta have your dog . . . you don’t go anywhere without your dog tags, ya know.”
“What’s your name sir?”
Iowa Congressman Tom Latham moves through the crowd sampling the veterans’ excitement about their trip . . .
“How many people to you have? What is it, about a hundred?”
“A hundred and sixty total. About hundred Veterans and then we have about sixty...
Read the full transcript
Intro and Outro
INTRO:Most surviving World War Two veterans, now in their 80s and 90s, don’t travel very far from home - if at all.
But a national project called “Honor Flight” spearheaded by fellow veteran and former U.S. Senator Bob Dole flew the aging Vets to Washington D.C., so that they could see the various memorials honoring their service.
One-hundred-two veterans from North Iowa and Southern Minnesota made the trip recently……and Iowa Public Radio’s Dean Borg joined ‘Honor Flight-Winnebago’at the Mason City, Iowa airport . . .
OUTRO:Additional Credits
Stephen Grant: editor, sound engineer, producer
