From AFT:
“Park Police to resume escorts
for Honor Flight visits around Washington, D.C.”
(A Naval Academy cadet thanks
Vietnam Veteran for his service during on Honor Flight event on Oct. 20, 2018
at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.)
U.S. Park Police officials have
agreed to resume escorts for Honor Flight events around the nation’s capital,
continuing a tradition that had been interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. The
news came just one day before the group’s celebration on the National Mall of
the 250,000th veteran transported through the program. Since 2005, officials
have helped veterans from across the country visit Washington, D.C. for an
opportunity to tour the war memorials and national landmarks there. In many
cases, the veterans are elderly and in poor health, and are able to make the
trip only because of the special medical and financial assistance provided by
the group. Trips bringing elderly vets to national war memorials resumed last
fall, but police escorts to facilitate the visits have not.
In the past, the U.S. Park Police
provided escorts to tour buses filled with veterans visiting areas of the
National Mall with limited parking, such as the World War II memorial and
Vietnam War Memorial Wall. Honor Flight officials reimbursed the agency for the
costs of the escorts. Honor Flight activities were largely shuttered by the
ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but resumed last fall. However, Park Police
officials in recent months have told organizers they could no longer assist
with the events because of bureaucratic issues with the Department of Interior.
On Monday, officials said those problems have been resolved. Escorts will
resume starting June 1. In a joint statement, officials from the Park Police,
the National Mall and Memorial Parks agency and Honor Flight said they have met
in recent weeks “to discuss our shared commitment to continuing to work
together and the best way to safely support hosted visits while also ensuring
USPP can meet its primary law enforcement and public safety mission.”
The first ever all-female honor
flight with 135 veterans visited the Washington area on Sept. 24. They received
a warm welcome at Reagan National Airport. Federal officials said that prior to
the pandemic, providing escorts had become “increasingly difficult” because of
the large number of events hosted by the group. “Historically, USPP has also
escorted groups to and from all three area airports using emergency lights and
sirens to expedite movement through congested traffic, a practice that is now recognized
to be inappropriate in non-emergency situations and inconsistent with modern
law enforcement best practices,” the joint statement said. Under a new
arrangement, park rangers and Park Police officers will greet veterans at a
chosen memorial, help with parking and visitor entry there, and provide
ranger-led programs about the site.
More than 750 veterans have died
waiting for a chance to visit the nation's war memorials since Honor Flights
were suspended in early 2020. In some cases, the federal agencies will also
provide an escort from the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington National Cemetery. At
its peak, the group was running up to 300 flights a year into the capital from
sites across the country. In a separate statement, Honor Flight Network CEO
Meredith Rosenbeck said organizers are “grateful for the renewed commitment of
support from the National Parks Service and USPP to ensure the safety of our
veterans during this visit of a lifetime.” Tuesdays’ event marking the
250,000th visitor will take place at the World War II Memorial and is scheduled
to feature numerous dignitaries, including former Sen. Elizabeth Dole (serving
as chairwoman of the celebration); Veterans Affairs Deputy Secretary Donald
Remy; House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano, D-Calif; and
Senate Veterans’ Committee ranking member Jerry Moran, R-Kan.
^ Today marks the 250,000th
Veteran visiting Washington DC with Honor Flight. It is a great milestone as is
the resumption of Park Escorts. ^
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