Honor Flight Volunteer Seeking Teachers, Students to Write Thank You Letters to World War II Vets

A local volunteer with Honor Flight Chicago is appealing to leaders of local schools, Scouting troops and other youth organizations to help write letters thanking World War II veterans for their service to America.

The letters will be given to veterans served by the Honor Flight Chicago organization, which gives Chicago-area military veterans (primarily World War II) free round-trip air transportation (as well as VIP treatment) to Washington, D.C. to tour the National World War II Memorial.

"I'd love to be able to recruit some teachers and kids who would be willing to write some letters/create some art for our upcoming Honor Flight Season. I am happy to pick up any artwork and get it to the Honor Flight office," wrote Christin Hannon Kennedy in a Facebook message to the Southwest Chicago Post.The next Honor Flight season should start in April of 2014.

Photo: Honor Flight Chicago website

Honor Flight Chicago, founded in 2008, is part of a nationwide Honor Flight Network---which, since 2005, has flown tens of thousands of military veterans to and from our nation's capital. The flights, as well as the war-hero receptions that volunteers give to the vets, are designed to honor and thank those who answered the call and served their country. The flights have been well covered by the Chicago-area news media.

As described by Honor Flight Chicago,

"After a day of camaraderie and reminiscence, these veterans think that their day is over. But waiting for them, on the flight home, is the sound of “MAIL CALL,” the same call that kept their spirits alive during the war.

We ask families, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to write thank you letters to the veterans. However, many have little or no family, may live in a nursing home, and have few friends or neighbors left. We want to ensure that each veteran gets a packet of mail.

Photo: Honor Flight Chicago

THIS IS WHERE WE NEED YOUR HELP. We ask that students write letters to these veterans to thank them for their service. The letters will be bundled with letters from other volunteers, other local school children, and elected officials. We have received many, many “thank you” notes from veterans that say that “Mail Call” was the highlight of their trip.

The following note is just one example of a mail call letter. You may even want to get your parents to write one! We appreciate your help making our next MAIL CALL the best ever. If you have any questions or would like to find out about further opportunities to join our volunteer team, please feel free to contact us."

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear WWII Veteran,

I wanted to thank you for the service you provided our country. We are currently
studying WWII history in school. I read a lot of information about the war, the Holocaust
and how it affected the whole world. I have great respect and appreciation for what you
did for the World.

(You can put in your own story perhaps about a family member or friend that served in
WWII, escaped from the Germans or fought in the Pacific, tell them why you are
interested in history and what their contribution means to you.)

In closing, thank you for all you have done for our country and for me. I can enjoy a lot
of freedoms because of what you did.

Many thanks,

Your First Name (First Names ONLY, please!)
Your Grade
Your School

A few reminders:
*No dates--We will use these letters throughout the year for our flights.
*ONLY first names
*NO HOME ADDRESSES (Feel free to provide your school address.)

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For more details, send an email to christinkennedy@sbcglobal.net.

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