Military Appreciation Night 2013 at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas will give the public an opportunity to show their support for our WWII Veterans as well as honor all who serve or have served in the military. Honor Flight Austin will be serving as the night’s highlighted charity through the Chasco Community Partnership program.

Honor Flight Austin is asking the public to support a gratitude campaign for our local WWII Veterans and Honor Flight Austin by purchasing tickets using the promo code “honor”. Honor Flight Austin will receive $3.00 for every ticket that is purchased using the “honor” promo code.

You can Buy Tickets online for Military Appreciation Night (Link in Red)

Many of our local WWII Veterans are overcome with emotion as they join Honor Flight Austin to visit the war memorials dedicated to their service and sacrifice.

“It was a tremendous feeling when we all got together…When we stepped off the plane I could not believe the ovation. It brought tears…” – Marvin Kanter, WWII Navy Veteran and alumni of Honor Flight Austin.

Honor Flight Austin spring trips will be held May 17,  May 31, and June 14, 2013. The public is invited to Austin Bergstrom International Airport to send off and welcome home our WWII Veterans.  Details for those wanting to send off and welcome home our Veterans will be posted on the Honor Flight Austin website. (www.HonorFlightAustin.org)Military Appreciation Night is sponsored by Navy Federal Credit Union, AUSA, Bluebonnet Trails, Community Services, Cook-Walden Funeral Homes & Cemeteries, University of Phoenix, and Concordia University Texas. Game time is 7:05pm

Richard Overton, an Army veteran who recently celebrated his 107th birthday, will be part of the group that leaves at 12:30 p.m. from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.  Overton, an Austin resident recently honored by the Austin City Council, was invited by Mayor Lee Leffingwell to join the trip.

Trips are made possible at no cost to the veterans through donations to Honor Flight Austin, created to honor veterans by transporting them to visit and reflect at their war memorials. Honor Flight Austin serves veterans residing in the Central Texas counties including Travis.

For details on the departure and arrival of this Honor Flight Austin flight visit the Aviation Department’s website.  Honor Flight Austin uses Southwest Airlines, also a sponsor of the trips. http://www.austintexas.gov/news/honor-flight-carry-35-wwii-vets-dc-may-17

Saying thank you to our Austin area WWII Veterans

Honor Flight Austin is taking off on its next 2013 spring flight this Friday – May 17^th, taking 35 Austin area WWII Veterans for a 2 day trip (we call an experience) to see their memorial in Washington, D.C.

SWA Flight Info:

 May 17              #2711              AUS / DCA                  12:30pm departure     4:40pm arrival            

 May 18              #2800              DCA / AUS                    5:25pm departure     8:00pm arrival            

Please join us for our welcome home ceremony on Saturday May 18^th at 7:30PM – at the upper level SWA ticket counter area at ABIA. 

Ron McDavid and Kris Shelstad are the point of contacts for our welcome home event – Ron McDavid (512)284-1434 orrmcdavid@gpstrategies.com – Kris Shelstad kristine.shelstad@gmail.com

New Honor Flight Austin PSA:  

Honor Flight Austin now serves the following counties: Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Gillespe, Gonzales, Hays, Lee, Llano, Milam, Travis, and Williamson Counties.

There are four flights scheduled in the Spring of 2013 and four flights in the Fall of 2013. The dates for the 2013 Spring Honor Flights are: April 26th, May 17th, May 31th and June 14th, 2013.

“The number of WWII veterans is quickly dwindling, with 800 to 1,000 dying every day,” said Honor Flight Austin Chairman Allen Bergeron “Honor Flight’s mission is to give these remarkable veterans the recognition they deserve: a chance to visit the memorials dedicated in their honor and a hero’s welcome when they return to Austin. For many, it is the trip of a lifetime, time is of the essence.”

Help support Honor Flight Austin as they strive to send every local WWII Veteran to Washington to see the memorial erected in their honor.  Donations can be made via their website www.honorflightaustin.org , mailed to Honor Flight Austin 815-A Brazos Street UPS Box 498 Austin, TX 78701-2514 or you may contact Honor Flight Austin at (512)809-7865.

“It was a tremendous feeling when we all got together…When we stepped off the plane I could not believe the ovation. It brought tears…” – Marvin Kanter, WWII Navy Veteran and alumni of Honor Flight Austin.

Many of our local WWII Veterans are overcome with emotion as they join Honor Flight Austin to visit the war memorials dedicated to their service and sacrifice as well as honoring those who did not make home.

Marvin Kanter, a WWII Navy Veteran, is one of those veterans.  Marvin shared his experience and gratitude after he visited Washington D.C. with Honor Flight Austin.

Throughout this 3 minute video Mr. Kanter, at times emotional, shares his appreciation and his surprise there are people in his community who thought of him and wanted to honor his service by donating to Honor Flight Austin.

“I couldn’t believe that after all these years, that they were thinking about us….For the people who donate money to the Honor Flight I salute you.”

If you would like to donate to Honor Flight Austin and help honor the service and sacrifice of our WWII Veterans with “One More Tour With Honor”, you can donate on our website HERE, or mail your donation to Honor Flight Austin 815-A Brazos Street UPS Box 498 Austin, TX 78701-2514.

Jim flew with Honor Flight Austin and many of us call him a friend. We hope you take a moment to honor this exceptional husband, father and Patriot.

Chalton James ”Jim” Watters Sr. died at his home in Georgetown, Texas on Tuesday, February 5th. A California native born in Santa Ana in 1919, Jim was a Pearl Harbor Survivor who began his service at Ford Island Naval Air Station in 1941. After serving in the south pacific with his squadron, VP/VPB-23, Jim finished his active duty as a Lieutenant Commander at Olathe NAS in Kansas. There he met and married Mary Josephine Moskowitz of Springfield, Missouri in 1944. After World War II ended, Jim and Mary moved to southern California where they raised two children, Pamela and Jim Jr. They spent a number of happy years living in San Pedro, California. Jim expanded the family business, Richards Cleaners, which became prominent in the Los Angeles Harbor area. He was active in the Rotary Club, the National Drycleaners Association, and the Masonic Lodge. Ever fond of the ocean, he spent many a day on the water either sailing, fishing, or cruising.

In 1984, Jim and Mary moved to Colorado where they built a home in Monument and added many new friends to their circle. While there, they hosted and became close with several Air Force Academy cadets. When the winter weather finally became too much, they moved south to Marble Falls,Texas. There they built a home and more special friendships. Never too far from aviation, Jim served as commander of the Confederate Air Force squadron in Burnet. 1995 was another moving year, with Mary and Jim buying a home in Georgetown, Texas. Jim’s love for the Navy and for aviation stayed strong throughout his life, and he helped keep squadron ties alive through reunions at locations around the country. Jim was happy to share his experiences, from oral histories for the Nimitz Foundation to presentations for the Georgetown Junior ROTC. As a fitting capstone for his life, Jim was taken by Honor Flight Austin to see the World War II Memorial in Washington DC.

Jim Watters was an exceptional husband, father, friend, and American. He was forever faithful to the family and friends who will treasure his memory forever.

Memorials may be made in Jim’s honor to the Wounded Warrior Project, Honor Flight Austin (Send to Honor Flight c/o Betty Schleder, 332 Rio Grande Loop) or the Nimitz Foundation.

After 86 years of faithful service to his God, family, country and community, Mr. Mathias passed away on January 14, 2013. Mr. Mathias, a decorated WWII Veteran and a prominent leader in Austin was instrumental in making Austin the great city that it is today. He also played a key role in helping Honor Flight Austin secure enough funding to make the Inaugural flight in June 2012, in which he and his brother Arnold (also a WWII Veteran) participated. Honor Flight is privileged to have known such a brilliant and influential man; it was an honor to take him to visit his WWII Memorial in D.C.

The picture above is a picture of Mr. Mathias (light blue shirt) with his family, including his brother Arnold who also served in WWII and went on our trip, as we arrived back to Austin after our inaugural trip.

It is with deep sorrow we share this news, as another one of America’s Greatest Generation leaves us. All of us in Honor Flight Austin are honored to have served Mr. Vic Mathias on our Inaugural trip to the WWII Memorial. Mr. Mathias was pivotal in our efforts to raise funds so that nearly 100 WWII veterans could visit the memorial dedicated in their honor last year. Mr. Mathias became close to many of our board members and all personally give thanks for having the chance to know him.

You can learn more about Vic Mathias by visiting www.VicMathias.com

Honor Flight Austin Network will continue to pay tribute to America’s veteran heroes, honoring all they have given. Honor Flight Austin believes we have a duty to show them that their efforts are not forgotten. We want to thank the Austin community and those in the surrounding areas who continue to support our effort to honor our veterans with, “One More Tour With Honor”. We couldn’t do it without your support.

You can view photos of our previous flights on our photos page on the Honor Flight Austin website. Click HERE to view the HFA photos.

Honor Flight a “wonderful experience”

I am one of the two World War II nurse veterans who went on the Honor Flight to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. I feel that I represented all of the women in service during World War II. I want to thank the staff of Honor Flight, the volunteers and all of the participating military personnel both in Austin and Washington who did so much to make this an outstanding and memorable trip.

I would encourage people in the Austin community to make contributions to Honor Flight Austin (www.honorflightaustin.org) so that other World War II veterans can have this wonderful experience on the next Honor Flight.

Isabelle Cook

Dear Mr. Bergeron, chairman of Honor Flight Austin.

How can I thank you and the people of Austin for the trip of a lifetime? From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all. The memorials-I will never forget and what they stand for. I lost a brother and many friends in World War II. From doning the shirt at the Hilton to the letters on the flight home. I have never been so appreciated. The volunteers were so friendly and helpful- The people lind up at the Regan airport-wanted to shake hands with us and thank us. At the memorial- busloads of children wanted to shake our hands and thank us. People wanted pictures of their girls with me. My grandson and his wife took the day off from work to push me around in the wheelchair. They live in Arlington, it was a perfect 2 days!!

Thanks, Sincerely, Mildred (Millie) Evans.

“Dear Allen Bergeron,

I want to thank you, Tina and all the volunteers and donors who made Honor Flight so memorable for me. I will encourage all my friends to contribute so many more Veterans can enjoy this wonderful experience.

Isabelle Cook

“I am one of the very favored veterans of the second WW, who was included in the Oct 8, 2012 Honor Flight from Austin. I am still overwhelmed by the attention and pampering that I and the other 100 plus veterans received at the hands of your volunteer staff…This has been a…once-in-a-lifetime experience, a powerful reminder of America’s true exceptionality. I personally profited deeply from talking with so many other old soldiers and sailors…”

“I am writing to express my thanks for including me in the Honor Flight to Washington D.C. I shall not forget the experience and shall cherish it for the remainder of my life. As a veteran coming home in 1946, almost a year after the war was over, I didn’t experience any fanfare or even a “thank for your service”, in fact no one met me at the train station. Perhaps, the trip to DC wil bring closure…as it has done for me. Thank you for providing me this experience and please thank my Guardians that worked so hard…”

Billy Bauder

“As a WWII Veteran, I want you to know just how much I appreciated the opportunity to travel on Southwest Airlines. Thank you for a well organized trip. I considered the total operations of this flight to be flawless…” Curtis Martel