HONOR FLIGHT – ONE LAST MISSION MIA

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

On May 30, 2015, Miami International Airport hosted its first-ever Honor Flight to pay tribute to 64 World War II and Korean War veterans. In partnership with Honor Flight South Florida and Eastern Air Lines, the event took place during National Military Appreciation Month. The living legends, who departed on Eastern Air Lines flight #1941 (named after the first year of the U.S. involvement in WWII), traveled to Washington D.C. to visit the war memorials built in their honor. For many, seeing the war memorials was a first. The event was designed to honor veterans, to tell their stories as part of community awareness and to demonstrate MIA's commitment to the men and women who serve or have served in the military. The event was memorialized in a moving video which MIA made especially to commemorate this special flight (see attachment below). To recognize and honor the vets, MIA also created a campaign to collect letters for a “mail call” drive – collecting over 2,000 personalized letters for the vets and distributed on board the aircraft. The drive, along with the event, also created much good PR and press.