In September of this year, Woodmore High School history teacher Courtney Reiner will be taking a trip to Washington D.C. to escort a veteran on an Honor Flight.

Reiner heard of someone in Woodville taking part in Honor Flight, and she decided that she, too, wanted to give back to the veterans.

Since May of 2005, volunteers have been escorting World War II veterans to Washington D.C., so they can see the World War II memorial that was dedicated to them.

Courtney Reiner. (WTW)

Earl Morse, a retired Air Force captain, came up with the idea for Honor Flight after learning that the majority of the veterans that he’d been taking care of for so long would likely stay home and never make it to D.C on their own. Morse wanted to help in any way he could, so Honor Flight was instituted.

It began in Springfield, Ohio in May 2005. Since then, the organization has been working to continue and expand this program across the nation. So far, they have 71 hubs in 30 states and are aiming to have hubs in all 50 states.

Every day, the U.S. loses about 1,000 veterans. The organization’s goal in 2009 was to send at least 25,000 veterans to see this memorial. Since 2005, over 63,290 veterans have been helped.

(Reprinted with permission from the April 2011 edition of Window To Woodmore, a student publication.

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