Boehner, Hobson Recognize Accomplishments of Earl Morse, Founder of "Honor Flight"
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) and Congressman David Hobson (R-Springfield) have submitted remarks to publish in the Congressional Record honoring Enon , OH native Earl Morse, who pioneered “Honor Flight,” taking World War II veterans to visit the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C.
While working at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Morse, a retired Air Force captain, realized that many of the veterans he encountered wanted to visit the Memorial but were unable to afford the trip. In January 2005, he asked pilots in an air club to which he belonged if they would be willing to volunteer their time and flight costs to bring veterans to Washington . Honor Flight has brought more than 1,000 veterans to visit the Memorial. The program currently operates in 30 states and hopes to expand to the remaining 20 states by the end of this year.
“As we celebrate Memorial Day and honor the sacrifices our veterans have made and the sacrifices currently being made by our troops and their families, we should also recognize people who go out of their way to help our veterans,” Boehner said. “Through the founding of Honor Flight, Earl Morse brought about the realization of a dream for World War II veterans who defended our freedom. I thank Earl Morse for his service to our country and for his service to our veterans.”
“Earl Morse’s vision has made a real difference in the lives of World War II veterans in Ohio and across the country. It’s only fitting that we pay tribute to this true patriot for his efforts to honor our veterans for their service and sacrifice,” Hobson said.
Boehner represents Ohio ’s 8th District, which includes all of Darke, Miami and Preble counties, most of Butler and Mercer counties, and the northeastern corner of Montgomery County . He was first elected to Congress in 1990.
Hobson represents Ohio ’s 7th District, which includes the following counties: Clark, Greene, Fayette, Pickaway, Ross, Franklin , Fairfield and Perry. It also includes urban, suburban and rural parts of Ohio stretching from east of Dayton , south of Columbus to Perry County .
Below is the full text of remarks submitted to the Congressional Record:
Recognizing the Accomplishments of Earl Morse
HON. JOHN A. BOEHNER & DAVID L. HOBSON
OF OHIO
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MR. BOEHNER & MR. HOBSON, Madam Speaker, we rise today to recognize Mr. Earl Morse, an Ohioan who has dedicated himself to honoring World War II veterans from across the country by making it possible for them to visit the national memorial built and dedicated in their honor.
Mr. Morse is a physician’s assistant and a retired Air Force captain from Enon , Ohio . While working at the Department of Veterans Affairs, he realized that most of the veterans he took care of were not able to make the trip to visit the World War II Memorial in Washington , D.C. Since Mr. Morse was also a pilot, he offered to personally fly one of his patients to visit the memorial.
Upon realizing the desire to visit the memorial was so great, Mr. Morse started to ask for help from other pilots to make these trips a reality. During an aero club meeting in January of 2005, he outlined a volunteer program to fly senior World War II veterans to visit their memorial with no cost to the veteran. The pilots would be asked to volunteer the use of their aircraft and their time. After Mr. Morse spoke, 11 pilots who had never met his patients signed up to establish the first of what would be many “Honor Flights.”
In 2005, the Honor Flight program took 137 World War II veterans to visit their memorial. As the popularity of the program grew, the need for more volunteers and the use of commercial aircraft became necessary. By 2006, an estimated 300 Ohio veterans made the trip to visit the World War II Memorial.
The mission and ideals of Mr. Morse’s Honor Flight soon spread across the nation, and a network of community leaders and volunteers became established to form the Honor Flight Network. The program presently has 69 hubs in 30 states, and is working to establish hubs in all 50 states by the end of 2008.
Madam Speaker, on the eve of Memorial Day, we feel that it is only fitting to pay tribute to Mr. Morse, who has demonstrated his patriotism and his respect for a generation of men and women who sacrificed so much to ensure the security of this world, and to guarantee the freedoms that we enjoy today.
We thank Mr. Earl Morse for his outstanding effort to honor the legacy of one of our nation’s most valuable resources, our veterans. We wish him, and his organization, all the best with his continued effort to ensure his objective is completed.
UPDATE: Commenter Scott Corbitt:
Earl Morse is one of those folks who saw a need that was not being fulfilled and gave up his livelihood as a physician's assistant with the VA and took on this task of making sure as many WWII veterans are able to see their monument.
Earl and his organization work themselves to the bone to maximize the dollars they receive. I remember I attended the second trip to D.C. that took off from Springfield Beckley Airport. I was working for Mike DeWine and he attended as well.
During this time, pilots from Wright Patterson AFB would pay with their own money, rent or use their own private planes to transport WWII veterans to DC and back the same day. Many that wanted to go couldn't b/c they were in wheelchairs.
Now that they are flying commercially, those wheel chair bound can go.
Please do your part in supporting this organization. I assure you that not a dime is wasted.
