During advisory over the next few weeks, Upper School students will be writing letters for veterans for Honor Flight DFW. The letters will be presented to a representative from the organization on December 1 during announcements.

Honor Flight’s mission is to get as many veterans as possible, especially World War II veterans, to their respective war memorial in Washington, D.C. The flight is all expenses paid and includes an overnight trip to Washington, DC to visit the WWII, Korean, Vietnam, Marine, Navy, and Air Force Memorials and Arlington Cemetery. A guardian travels with each veteran along with a volunteer team of medical professionals.

Honor Flight was originally founded in 2004 by Earl Morse, a physician’s assistant from Ohio. Established in September 2008, Honor Flight DFW departed its first flight in 2009 and has flown over 1,100 WWII veterans since.

The Honor Flight DFW’s mission statement is “to honor our veterans for the sacrifices they have made to keep our nation safe by providing them with an all expense paid trip to visit the memorials in Washington D.C., those memorials which symbolize the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of these American heroes.”

Registrar and US Community Service Coordinator Rita Zawalnicki learned about Honor Flight through Alumni and Relations Coordinator Shel Juliao ’92 and Izzy Juliao ’20. After researching Honor Flight and watching videos on the organization’s website, Zawalnicki knew there was no way she could pass up participating.

“It may be the most meaningful service event we’ve done,” Zawalnicki said.