[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21720]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING HONORAIR 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES H. TAYLOR

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 28, 2006

  Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
the World War II veterans group, ``HonorAir'' of Western North 
Carolina, who recently visited Washington, DC. I want to commend the 
residents of Henderson County, who made this trip possible and showed 
the rest of the Nation how to honor the heroes of the greatest 
generation.
  The residents of Henderson County, with a population of 98,000, 
raised more than $100,000 to send 220 World War II veterans on two 
chartered aircrafts to Washington, DC to see the World War II memorial 
for the first time.
  The World War II Memorial 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. Symbolic of the defining event of 
the 20th century, the memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, 
and commitment of the American people.
  The idea for HonorAir started when Jeff Miller, a resident of Western 
North Carolina whose father served in the Navy in the Pacific Theater, 
read an article about a man who flew World War II veterans in a small 
plane to Washington, DC to see the memorial.
  A fundraising campaign began in Western North Carolina on Memorial 
Day and ran through July 4, 2006. This effort was lead by Jeff Miller, 
Frank Schell, David Reeves, David Adams, Senator Tom Apodaca, Mike 
Murdock, Henry Johnson, George Erwin, Meridith Elliott, Marybeth Burns, 
Kim McKibbin and Sarah Smith. Within 6 months, residents young and old 
rallied to raise more than $100,000 for the trip. I would like to 
commend these individuals for their hard work in making this awe-
inspiring idea into reality. Also, I want to commend Mr. Frank Schell 
and the ``guardians,'' a group of over 50 volunteers, who flew up from 
North Carolina to assist with the operation of the event.
  From the celebrated departure at the Asheville Regional Airport, to 
the water-arched greeting at Reagan National Airport, to the wreath 
ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns, the World War II veterans of 
Henderson County received a day of honor that was long deserved. It is 
apparent that the people in Henderson County truly love the Nation, and 
they honor the heroes who have protected it.
  Again, it was truly an honor to take part in HonorAir 2006 and I and 
the rest of the United States Congress hope to see more events like 
this around the Nation.

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