[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9670]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             A TRIBUTE TO HEARTLAND HONOR FLIGHT ORGANIZERS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. LEE TERRY

                              of nebraska

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 1, 2009

  Mr. TERRY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to four 
of my constituents who have touched the hearts of countless members of 
the ``Greatest Generation'' and their families.
  Bill and Evonne Williams and John and Connie Liebsack organized the 
Heartland Honor Flight program a few years ago. Since 2008, in 
conjunction with the Nebraska Veterans of Foreign Wars, five separate 
flights of nearly 750 World War II veterans have been brought to 
Washington, D.C. to visit the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington and the 
World War II Memorial on the National Mall. By the end of this April, 
another 750 veterans will have made an Honor Flight visit to 
Washington, and there are still veterans on a waiting list.
  These men and women, most of who are seeing the World War II Memorial 
for the first time, are often moved to tears as they recall their war 
time experiences in Europe and the South Pacific and the comrades they 
knew who sacrificed for our liberty and freedom. Many of them, for the 
first time, open up to their loved ones about how their service to our 
Nation has affected them and their lives all these years.
  Madam Speaker, it is important to note that this undertaking is 
entirely underwritten by private donations. Airfare, meals, and medical 
assistance are provided free to these veterans--nearly $1 million has 
been raised so far. Across America, we lose more than 1,000 WWII 
veterans each day so it is vital those who are still among us have an 
opportunity to visit the Memorial. The Honor Flight network has the 
goal to bring 25,000 WWII veterans to the Memorial in 2009. How has 
this been accomplished? Through the hard work, dedication and 
compassion of people like Bill and Evonne Williams and John and Connie 
Liebsack.
  It is an honor for me to come to this floor and pay tribute to Bill, 
Evonne, John and Connie and the many other volunteers from Nebraska who 
have gone the extra mile to fulfill the dreams of WWII veterans. I 
congratulate them on their achievements and I call on all of my 
colleagues to offer them encouragement and support as they continue to 
bring as many veterans as possible to Washington in the coming months.

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