[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 171 (Tuesday, October 16, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1411]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO THE HONOR FLIGHT OF GREATER LAFAYETTE AND ITS FOUNDERS PAM 
                           MOW AND DANA VANN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TODD ROKITA

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 16, 2018

  Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, October 16, 2018, The Honor 
Flight of Greater Lafayette will host its twenty-second and final trip 
escorting America's Hoosier veterans to Washington, DC, to visit 
memorials dedicated to honor their service. I rise today to recognize 
this exceptional organization and the two remarkable women who have 
dedicated their hearts to its success.
  Organization founders Pam Mow and Dana Vann are Gold Star Mothers. 
Dana's son Senior Airman John Morton, Jr., lost his life in Italy while 
serving in the Air Force on September 3, 2002. He was 22 years old. On 
April 12, 2007, Pam Mow lost her son Army Corporal Cody Putnam when he 
died in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was 22 years old. 
These women have already sacrificed so much, yet for the past seven 
years, they have chosen to honor the lives and service of veterans 
through the Honor Flight of Greater Lafayette.
  The first honor flight from Lafayette, Indiana, took place on April 
16, 2012. Since that time over 1,800 veterans have departed the Purdue 
University Airport to arrive in Washington, D.C., where they and their 
guardians were able to visit the war memorials and the Tomb of the 
Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery. Veterans have told me that 
viewing the monuments, which honor their service, is a very moving 
experience. Additionally, they really enjoyed receiving letters of 
appreciation from relatives, friends, and school children at ``Mail 
Call'' and being greeted by hundreds of patriotic, flag-waving 
Americans on the tarmac when their plane returned to Lafayette. One 
veteran expressed to me, ``It was the best day of my life.''
  These once in a lifetime Hoosier veteran experiences are because of 
the dedication, leadership, and work of Pam Mow and Dana Vann. I wish 
to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for their service to 
veterans and the community-at-large. It is truly an honor to 
congratulate them for the twenty-two successful trips of The Honor 
Flight of Greater Lafayette. May God bless Pam and Dana as they go 
forward with their lives.

                          ____________________