[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 22, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2830-S2831]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





            RECOGNIZING THE ALWAYS FREE HONOR FLIGHT NETWORK

 Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, today I am incredibly honored to 
rise and recognize a group of 23 heroic military veterans who will 
travel from West Virginia this week to visit our Nation's Capital as 
part of the ninth Always Free Honor Flight. On the occasion of their 
visit, in which they will see for the first time the monuments built in 
their honor, I want to express my utmost gratitude to these special men 
and women for their extraordinary bravery and patriotism and for their 
noble sacrifice to help keep our country free.
  I have said this time and time again: West Virginia is one of the 
most patriotic States in this great Nation. With one of our country's 
highest per capita rates of military servicemembers and veterans, West 
Virginia is undoubtedly one of our Nation's most patriotic States. 
According to the Department of Defense, West Virginia had the highest 
casualty rate in the nation during the Vietnam war, and I am so proud 
that the Honor Flight will allow these West Virginia veterans to pay 
homage to their brethren at the Vietnam Wall. The 23 veterans 
participating in this week's Always Free Honor Flight truly embody the 
Mountain State's history and contributions to the safeguard of our 
American freedoms.
  Our special West Virginians visiting this week represent warriors 
from 50 to 94 years old and have traveled from all parts of our great 
State, from Buckhannon to Bluefield, Princeton to Beckley, and many 
places in between. In addition to our Mountain State veterans, one 
veteran from North Carolina and two veterans from Virginia will be 
accompanying their West Virginia neighbors on the daylong adventure. Of 
the patriots attending, four served in World War II, two served in both 
the Korean war and the Vietnam war, 17 served in the Vietnam war, two 
served in the Cold War, one served in the Gulf War, and two served 
stateside.
  I would especially like to recognize our World War II Veterans who 
will be on this Honor Flight. Ninety-four-year-old Sergeant Wetzel Ray 
Sanders from Midkiff joined the Army in Princeton in 1941. He was a 
gunner and rifleman stationed in Hawaii and is a Pearl Harbor survivor. 
Former Seaman Samuel Helmandollar will also be coming to Washington, 
DC. The Princeton native and 91-year-old joined the Navy in 1944 in 
Huntington and was a gunner. We will also be joined by 93-year-old 
Sergeant Rudolph Dillon Jennings from Bluefield. He joined the Army Air 
Corps in 1943 in Princeton and was stationed in England and served in 
the European Theater. John Howard Winfrey, a 93-year-old from Lindside 
joined the Navy and Air Force in 1942. He served aboard ships in the 
Atlantic and Pacific as a torpedoman 2nd class during World War II.
  These men represent our Nation's Greatest Generation, and their 
sacrifices and valor embody American patriotism. They fought in such a 
pivotal war, in an era that threatened our existence as a nation. 
Unfortunately, as the years go by, we are losing so many of our World 
War II veterans, and we must show them our utmost gratitude each and 
every day.
  As I mentioned, we will also be joined by veterans of the Korean, 
Vietnam, Cold, and Gulf wars. They engaged in combat all over the 
world. They were pilots, helicopter gunners, and radio operators.
  One of these veterans, Curtis Ray Vest of Bluefield, joined the 
Marine Corps in 1952 in Freeman and served in both Korea and Vietnam. 
In Korea, he served as a Field Observer for Field Artillery and was 
stationed in Incheon and Puson. In Vietnam, he was part of the American 
rescue mission of the French from Vietnam to safety in Japan.
  Another of these Veterans is Sergeant Marshall Glenn Mann who joined 
Air Force in 1968 in Falls Church. On March 4, 1971 during combat at 
Khe Sanh, the Republic of Vietnam air lift urgently needed to get 
ammunition to Khe Sanh in to support operation Lam Son719. The 
objective of this mission was to destroy supply dumps and sever the Ho 
Chi Minh Trail, which was the corridor running through eastern Laos 
from North Vietnam to Cambodia and into South Vietnam. Because of the 
Cooper-Church Amendment passed by Congress in late 1970s, US ground 
troops and advisers were prohibited from entering Laos. However, U.S. 
helicopters supported the operation and U.S. fighter bombers, and B-52 
bombers provided air cover. Sergeant Mann received the Distinguished 
Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement while participating in 
aerial flight for this operation.
  Another Vietnam Veteran joining us is Staff Sergeant Danny Lewis 
Meadows, who joined the Air Force in 1966 in Beckley. Staff Sergeant 
Meadows was a mechanic on KC-135 Air Refueling Tanker for two years and 
refueled B-52 bombers and F-4 fighters in Southeast Asia. During his 
last two years of service, Staff Sergeant Meadows was a crew chief on a 
C-130 cargo aircraft in the Philippines and Vietnam. He flew to Saigon 
and Cam Ranh Bay Vietnam for fifteen to twenty-one days each month. He 
flew from several bases in Vietnam into the jungle to perform assault 
landings. He was working on his aircraft and was attacked with rockets 
and fell off the wing, broke his hip and wrist and with four months 
remaining on his enlistment and was shipped back to the U.S. to 
recover.
  We will also have two Veterans that served in the Cold War One of 
them, Jackson P. Thompson served as a Recon Specialist from 1971-76. He 
was stationed at Fulda Gap in Germany, which was near the area between 
the Inner German Border of East and West Germany that contained two 
corridors of lowlands subjected to a potential invasion by Warsaw Pact 
forces.
  Showing our appreciation to those who have served is something that 
we should do each and every day, but today is a special day to pay 
tribute and thank those who have volunteered to put their lives on the 
line for our freedoms. The memorials our Honor Flight participants will 
visit today serve as an important reminder to us all that our freedoms 
and liberties come at a steep cost. However, I know our veterans will 
find special meaning and potentially long-lost emotions when they tour 
such touching sites.
  The brave West Virginia heroes today have all served this country in 
a variety of ways, working both at home and abroad. They have engaged 
in combat on U.S. soil in Pearl Harbor and all over the world, at the 
Panama Canal, working on the docks of Saigon, protecting the border of 
West Germany and serving in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. One of our 
visiting Vietnam veterans, Sergeant Dean Fluharty, who joined the 
Marine Corps in Parkersburg, earned a Purple Heart, Silver Star, 
Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and a Good Conduct Medal. But regardless 
of their rank or duty, each and every one of these veterans answered 
our nation's call and has served with incredible pride and valor.
  This week's `Honor Flight' and the continued support of our Veterans 
would not be possible without the dedication of so many volunteers and 
caregivers. I would like to thank the four JROTC Cadets from Montcalm, 
Bluefield and Princeton High Schools as well as the military spouses 
serving as the guardians on this year's `Honor Flight.' These guardians 
have selflessly given their time to travel alongside our veterans all 
the way from Princeton, West Virginia to Washington, D.C. to share this 
very special journey with them
  I also commend those in the `Always Free Honor Flight' Network for 
their dedication to providing our Veterans with such a unique and 
meaningful experience. Without the diligence and passion of Dreama 
Denver, President of `Always Free Honor Flight' Network and owner of 
Princeton, West Virginia's Little Buddy Radio, as well as Pam 
Coulbourne, the coordinator of these flights, many of our Veterans 
would never have the opportunity to travel to Washington and pay homage 
to the men and women they fought beside. Dreama and Pam launched the 
`Always Free Honor Flight' in 2012 and every year, they continue to 
make this dream a reality for many of our West Virginia Veterans.
  I'd also like to recognize Sergeant First Class Paul Dorsey, Vice 
President of Always Free Honor Flight and Official Photographer Steve 
Coleman, who have done a tremendous job of ensuring that our Veterans 
receive the recognition they deserve. Dreama, Pam, and Steve have also 
dedicated themselves to the Denver Foundation, serving as incredible 
examples of how individuals can give back to their communities.

[[Page S2831]]

  I am filled with pride every time I meet the patriots who have served 
our country, and I am so pleased to welcome West Virginia's most 
courageous veterans, who are all heroes, to Washington, D.C. I 
encourage all of my colleagues to join me in saluting them. They truly 
inspire us all as we are reminded of their selfless service. It is 
because of their bravery that all Americans enjoy the greatest 
liberties and freedoms in the world.
  God bless all our servicemembers and veterans, God bless the great 
State of West Virginia, and God bless the United States of 
America.

                          ____________________