JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
A group of 40 Andrews Airmen, including Col. Ken Rizer, 316th Wing/Joint Base Andrews commander, and Col. Jacqueline Van Ovost, 89th Airlift Wing commander, greeted World War II veterans upon their arrival to the WWII Memorial in Washington D.C. Saturday.
The group from Andrews greeted veterans as they stepped off their bus, thanked them for their service to our country, shared stories and took photos.
According to their website, the Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization created solely to honor America's veterans for their sacrifices. They transport military heroes to Washington D.C., to visit and reflect at their memorials.
The event was sponsored by the Andrews program, Culture of Responsible Choices, which promotes healthy lifestyle choices for all Airmen and their families.
"We encourage and focus on building a stronger Team Andrews community through providing several unique events that enhance community involvement on and off base," said 2nd Lt. Shana Drahn-Hoffman, CoRC Co-Action Officer, 89th intelligence officer. "And like most service opportunities, when we serve we learn something about our past or American history or maybe we learn something about ourselves and what our service means today."
Two of the Airmen taking part in Saturday's event, Staff Sgt. Trevor Paradise and Airman 1st Class David Foster, 316th Security Forces Squadron members, volunteered for the event on their off time.
"It was an honor meeting those veterans and hearing their experiences from when they served. They are heroes," said Sergeant Paradise.
"The veterans I spoke with shared some amazing stories from their tours overseas," added Airman Foster. "I could tell us being there in uniform meant a lot to them."
For many of these veterans, it was the first time they had seen the World War II memorial, which honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S., the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported the war effort from home, according to its website.
"It's a great honor to meet these men who served their country in World War II," Col. Rizer said. "You stand here and you look at all these memorials on the National Mall and these men are living memorials to some of the great things this country has accomplished. I'm really proud to see people from all the wings and organizations on Andrews here supporting this great event."
The next scheduled National Honor Flight meet-and-greet is tomorrow at 9 a.m. at the WWII Memorial. Volunteers may bring family members or friends, but are required to dress in a military uniform, be it Service Dress, Blues, ABUs, BDUs; meeting all regulations regardless of service branch.
For more information, contact 2nd Lt. Drahn-Hoffman via e-mail at shana.drahnhoffman@afncr.af.mil