SPRINGDALE, Ark. -- Ninety World War II veterans from the northwest Arkansas region visited the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., recently as part of a trip Tyson Foods Inc. helped fund and organize.
The trip, called "Honor Flight," was planned in coordination with a national organization called the Honor Flight Network. It was established four years ago to "transport America's veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit those memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices."
Through Tyson's involvement, and because of contributions by the Walmart Foundation and others, a commercial jet was chartered to fly the veterans free of charge from Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport to Washington, D.C., and back. Volunteer guardians and some medical personnel were also on the flight, bringing the total number of people on the trip to more than 140.
The veterans on the flight, who are between the ages of 85 and 98 years old, spent the day visiting the World War II Memorial, as well as other nearby war memorials during their day in the nation's capital.
The Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization that started four years ago in Ohio, with six small planes taking a dozen World War II veterans to see the memorial. Today, there are more than 70 hubs in 34 states. The recently-formed northwest Arkansas hub of Honor Flight Network is currently the only one in the state.
"This was an opportunity for us to recognize those who served our country so faithfully in the war," said Bill McKenzie, director of Tyson Aviation, who coordinated the start of the northwest Arkansas hub. "We appreciate the financial support of Tyson Foods and the Walmart Foundation, as well as many other individual contributors. These funds allowed us to offer this flight at no cost to the veterans."
"It was a privilege to honor our veterans by being a sponsor of this inaugural flight," said Ken Kimbro, senior vice president and chief human resources officer for Tyson Foods. "Our company employs many veterans and is a long-time supporter of the U.S. military, providing differential pay for employees called to active guard or reserve duty and sending 'care packages' to employees or friends and family of employees who are stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq."
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