Commending the Honor Flight Network, its volunteers, and donors, for enabling World War II veterans to travel to our Nation's capital to see the World War II Memorial created in their honor.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1287) commending the Honor Flight Network, its volunteers, and donors, for enabling World War II veterans to travel to our Nation's capital to see the World War II Memorial created in their honor.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to support House Resolution 1287, a resolution commending the Honor Flight Network, its volunteers, its donors and friends for enabling World War II veterans to travel to our Nation's Capital to see the World War II Memorial created in their honor. It is a pleasure for me to stand before you today to pay tribute to the Honor Flight Network.

This is a nonprofit organization that was created solely to honor America's World War II veterans for all their sacrifices by bringing them to Washington, DC without charging them a penny. The visit for them is to reflect at the World War II Memorial and visit with their fellow veterans.

The memorial, as you all know, honors the 16 million veterans who served in the Armed Forces of the United States during World War II, the more than 400,000 that made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our Nation and the millions who supported the war effort at home.

The memorial itself is a testament to the spirit, sacrifice and commitment of the American people to the common defense of our Nation and equally important to the broader causes of peace and freedom from tyranny throughout the world. Above all, the memorial stands as an important symbol of American national unity, a timeless reminder of the moral strength and awesome power that can flow when free people are united and bonded together in a common and just cause. I sincerely hope that every World War II veteran will eventually be able to experience this great memorial, which we specifically created in their honor.

I am saddened, Madam Speaker, that not all veterans will be able to see this remarkable site. But, fortunately, the Honor Flight Network has made this dream a reality for many veterans by helping them see firsthand the memorial, an experience that certainly live with them and their families for the rest of their lives.

This program was conceived by Earl Morse, a physician's assistant and retired Air Force captain, to honor the veterans he has taken care of for almost three decades. After retiring from the Air Force in 1998, Earl was hired by the Department of Veterans Affairs to work in a small clinic in Springfield, Ohio.

In May of 2004, the World War II Memorial was finally completed and dedicated in Washington, DC, which quickly became the topic of discussion amongst his World War II veteran patients. Earl repeatedly asked these veterans if they would ever travel out to visit the memorial. Most felt that eventually somehow they would make it to D.C., perhaps with a friend or family member.

As summer turned to fall and then winter, these same veterans returned to the clinic for their follow-up visits. Earl asked if they accomplished their dream of visiting the World War II Memorial.

By now, for most of the veterans who were asked the question, reality had settled in. It was clear to most of them that it was simply not financially or physically possible for them to make the journey. Most of these heroes were in their eighties and lacked the physical and mental wherewithal to complete a trip of their own. Families and friends lacked the resources and time to complete a trip to D.C.

Earl could tell that the majority of the veterans had given up all hope of ever visiting the memorial that was specifically created to honor them, their sacrifice and their service. That is when Earl decided that there had to be a way to get these heroes to D.C. to see this memorial.

In December of 2004 Earl asked one of his World War II patients if he could personally fly him out to D.C. free of charge to visit the memorial. The patient, Mr. Loy, broke down and cried. He said at his age he would probably never get to see his memorial. He accepted the offer, and soon thereafter Earl received help from other pilots to make these hopes and dreams a reality for other veterans.

At the end of the first year, Honor Flight took 137 World War II veterans to their memorial. The mission and ideals of the program began to spread across America. One individual, Jeff Miller, from Hendersonville, North Carolina, led the expansion into areas not serviced by direct commercial flights to the Washington, DC area, and HonorAir was born.

In February of 2006, Earl and Jeff combined efforts and cofounded this Honor Flight Network. By the end of 2006, almost 1,000 World War II veterans realized their dream of visiting their memorial. The program presently has 69 hubs in 30 States, and by the end of this year, the Honor Flight Network hopes to have a hub in all 50 States.

One veteran who was able to have this experience, Ed Vitikas, put it best. He said, ``It's the trip of a lifetime.'' In the future, Honor Flight plans on paying tribute to America's other heroes that served during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, followed by veterans of more current wars.

Today, by passing House Resolution 1287, we express our gratitude and heartfelt thanks to an organization that has given so much to our veterans by commending the Honor Flight Network, its volunteers and donors, for enabling World War II veterans to travel to our Nation's Capital to so the World War II Memorial created in their honor.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank our colleagues, Jerry Moran from Kansas, David Hobson from Ohio and Heath Shuler from North Carolina, for submitting this resolution. I ask that all my colleagues from both sides of the aisle support this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to

revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on House Resolution 1287.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

In conclusion, maybe as a segue to a bill we have in a couple minutes, this is a memorial to World War II veterans. For over 62 years, the Filipinos, who were drafted to fight in World War II and helped us win the battle in the Pacific, have not been granted the rights and benefits of being veterans of our Nation. They played a very important role, slowing up the Japanese advance, harassing them so that MacArthur could return, and continuing to help us fight the battle of the Pacific. We would not have won the battle in the Pacific as quickly as we did were it not for our Filipino World War II veterans.

I just want to say for the record that I and millions of people around the country regard this World War II Memorial on the Mall as also commemorating the contributions of the Filipinos who fought by our side in World War II.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, House Resolution 1287 would provide commendation to the Honor Flight Network, its volunteers and donors for enabling World War II veterans to travel to our Nation's Capital to see the World War II Memorial created in their honor.

Honor Flight Network was initially conceived in 2004 by Earl Morse, a physician's assistant and retired Air Force captain, to simply honor veterans he has taken care of for the past 27 years. Its sole purpose was to fly veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials dedicated to honor their sacrifice.

Today, Honor Flight Network has flown more than 800 World War II veterans to the memorial. It is a grassroots, nonprofit organization, and currently operates successfully in 30 States. My office has been involved in setting up three of these special honor flights for World War II veterans, and in June of 2007 I had the pleasure of partaking in one of these events myself.

The Honor Flight Network relies on support from volunteers and the funding from donors. These individuals help us to honor our veterans in return for all they have sacrificed to make this a better world.

Without the support of our volunteers, we would not be able to provide our heroes with the opportunity to fly to Washington, DC to see the memorial created in their honor. In reviewing the current legislative priorities for the Honor Flight Network, it is evident that their efforts have continued to supply support and recognition to World War II veterans through democracy.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 1287.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers and yield back the balance of my time.

General Leave

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1287.

Several of my colleagues and I have had the honor in recent years of joining former Senator Bob Dole to greet groups of World War II veterans arriving at the World War II Memorial for the first time through a grassroots, nonprofit organization called Honor Flight.

I introduced House Resolution 1287 earlier this year to express our country's appreciation to the Honor Flight Network, its founders Earl Morse of Ohio and Jeff Miller of North Carolina, its volunteers and its donors across the country who make this moving experience possible for our Nation's World War II veterans. By introducing this resolution, I also seek to call attention to this worthy organization in the hope that more of my colleagues as well as those watching and reading at home will support Honor Flight in their communities.

Many World War II veterans are in their 80s and 90s and are unable, physically or financially, to visit our Nation's capital and see the World War II Memorial, which is a beautiful tribute to their service, sacrifice and victory over 60 years ago. We are losing these veterans at a rate of 900 each day. Working against time to say ``thank you,'' Honor Flight uses chartered or commercial flights to enable World War II veterans to see the Memorial created in their honor.

Today, we commend the Honor Flight Network, its volunteers and donors now operating in over 30 States who honor World War II veterans by making it possible for them to experience our Nation's gratitude for their service.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 1287--Commending the Honor Flight Network.

The Honor Flight's mission is to provide an all expenses paid trip for WWII veterans to Washington, DC, to visit the memorial that has been dedicated to honor their service and their sacrifices for our country.

Unfortunately, we are losing ``The Greatest Generation'' with every passing day, and many are not able to have the opportunity to

visit the World War II monument, which memorializes the sacrifice made by so many.

Thankfully, Honor Flight organizations from all over the Nation have taken it upon themselves to make sure WWII veterans who otherwise would be unable to make the trip to D.C., have an opportunity to do so.

This amazing group, made up entirely of unpaid volunteers, raises money and donates time to ensure these veterans of World War II see not only the WWII monument, but also the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery--all at no cost to the veteran.

These honor flights take veterans to Washington from April through November each year, and provide flights, deluxe tour bus service, t- shirts, scooters, wheelchairs, oxygen and meals--at a cost of $20,000 per flight. Many people say they are grateful for the sacrifices of our Nation's veterans, but this group puts it that idea into action.

In my home state of Michigan, over 414 veterans were flown to Washington, DC by Honor Flight of Michigan last year, and so far this year 346 veterans have been afforded the opportunity to see Washington,