In a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, U.S. Representative Rodney Davis (R-IL) and other members of Congress are urging the Department of Interior (DOI) to facilitate the return of Honor Flight Hub trips to war memorials and monuments in Washington, DC, by bringing back police escorts for those trips.
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) greets an Illinois veteran in June of 2019 during a Land of Lincoln Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.
“Our veterans are our heroes. Their sacrifice for our country allows us to enjoy the Freedoms we have today as Americans. The least we can do for our veterans is allow them to visit the war memorials that were built to honor their service,” said Rep. Rodney Davis. “Honor Flight is an incredible organization that serves our veterans and helps them experience inspiring and humbling monuments along the National Mall in-person. The Biden Administration and Department of Interior should do anything they can to help them facilitate the return of these trips to Washington. Our veterans – our heroes – deserve it.”
The members wrote in their letter, “It is imperative that veterans – particularly those with physical disabilities – have the necessary parking access to ensure ease of entry to each war memorial to get the full experience they have earned. As a country, we have asked much of our men and women in uniform. Time and again, they answered the call. We request that you grant Honor Flight Hubs the necessary vehicular escorts our veterans have clearly earned.”
The nonprofit organization Honor Flight Network, founded in 2005, is a national network of independent Hubs working together to honor our nation’s veterans with an all-expenses paid trip to the memorials in Washington, D.C., a trip many of our veterans may not otherwise be able to take. Participation in an Honor Flight trip gives veterans the chance to share this momentous trip with other veterans, to remember friends and comrades lost, and share their stories and experiences with each other.
Previously, DOI provided U.S. Park Police (USPP) vehicular escorts for Honor Flight Hubs as they traveled from airports in the Washington, DC, area to war memorials and monuments around the National Mall. USPP logistical support to Hubs helped ensure the visits run smoothly and safely. To date, DOI has not committed to providing logistical support to Honor Flight visits to our Nation’s capital.
To learn more about Honor Flights, visit honorflight.org. The Honor Flight Hub based in Springfield, Illinois, is the Land of Lincoln Honor Flight. To learn more about the Land of Lincoln Honor Flight, visit landoflincolnhonorflight.org.
You can find a copy of the letter here or the text of the letter below.
April 11, 2022
The Honorable Deb Haaland
Secretary
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20240
Dear Secretary Haaland,
We write to urgently request that the Department of the Interior (DOI) provide the Honor Flight Network with the National Park Service’s United States Park Police (USPP) vehicular escort services granted in previous years. Our brave veterans have made tremendous sacrifices to secure the freedoms we enjoy today. As a nation, we owe it to our heroes to give them the utmost honor and privilege that they deserve on their Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.
Since its founding, the Honor Flight Network has taken more than 245,000 World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and terminally ill veterans on an all-expense paid trip to visit our nation’s capital. 1 Veterans visit – many for the first time – the very war memorials dedicated to their service to our country. During these trips, veterans share memories and accounts from their time in service, pay tribute to their lost comrades, and build important bonds with fellow participants. Honor Flights Hubs meticulously plan these experiences to further the Honor Flight Network’s vision of a country where “all of America’s veterans experience the honor, gratitude, and community of support they deserve.”2
In order to accomplish this worthy vision, it is imperative that DOI provide USPP vehicular escort services to Honor Flight Hubs slated to arrive this spring. The escort services play a critical logistical role in ensuring these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities run smoothly and safely as Hubs navigate the busy National Mall. It is imperative that veterans – particularly those with physical disabilities – have the necessary parking access to ensure ease of entry to each war memorial to get the full experience they have earned. As a country, we have asked much of our men and women in uniform. Time and again, they answered the call. We request that you grant Honor Flight Hubs the necessary vehicular escorts our veterans have clearly earned.
We appreciate your attention to this important matter and look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Original source can be found here.