[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15595-15596]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING ARKANSAS'S WORLD WAR II HONOR FLIGHT VETERANS

 Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, today I recognize more than 80 
Arkansas World War II veterans who will travel to Washington, DC, this 
weekend to visit the national World War II Memorial and other memorials 
dedicated in their honor.
  The group is traveling as a part of the second Northwest Arkansas 
Honor Flight. They will fly free of charge from Northwest Arkansas 
Regional Airport to Washington, DC, and back. Without the efforts of 
the Northwest Arkansas Honor Flight program, many of these veterans 
would never be able to visit our Nation's military memorials, including 
the World War II,

[[Page 15596]]

Korea, Vietnam and Iwo Jima memorials, and Arlington National Cemetery.
  This year's veterans range in age from 88 to 98 and include four 
women who served in the military during World War II. They will receive 
cards and letters of appreciation from local school groups and other 
members of the community. To date, more than 700 cards and letters from 
the northwest Arkansas community have been collected.
  In Arkansas, there are approximately 26,714 living World War II 
veterans, and each one has a heroic tale. World War II was one of 
America's greatest triumphs, but was also a conflict filled with 
individual sacrifice and tragedy. More than 60 million people worldwide 
were killed, including more than 35 million civilians, and more than 
400,000 American servicemembers. The ultimate victory is a testament to 
the valor of American soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines.
  I salute these World War II veterans, along with all of our 260,000 
Arkansas veterans. My father and both grandfathers served our Nation in 
uniform and taught me from an early age about the sacrifices our troops 
and their families make to keep our Nation free. All of our veterans--
from the greatest generation to Vietnam war veterans to the new 
generation of servicemembers in the Middle East and across the globe--
have sacrificed greatly on behalf of our country. I thank them for 
their service and sacrifice.

                          ____________________