AUSTIN, Texas — On the 81st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor on Wednesday, President Joe Biden met with World War II veterans who came to the White House as part of an Honor Flight from Austin.
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president met with 23 veterans, family members and volunteers and thanked them for their service. The veterans attended the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day observance at the World War II memorial on the National Mall.
“These veterans served on the home front across the European and Pacific theaters,” said Jean-Pierre. “Today, we remember and pay tribute to the 2,403 service members and civilians that died during the attack on our forces at Pearl Harbor and honor the extraordinary contributions that these veterans made to guide our nation through the world’s darkest moments.”
The Honor Flight departed on Tuesday afternoon from Austin. The veterans are scheduled to return to Austin at 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday. It is the 79th trip for Honor Flight Austin.
As part of the commemoration, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley delivered the keynote address and accompanied World War II veterans as they placed wreaths at the WWII Memorial's Freedom Wall in remembrance of the more than 400,000 Americans and 60 million people killed worldwide during the deadliest military conflict in human history.
Honor Flight Austin celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year. Honor Flight Austin trips are made possible at no cost to the veterans through donations.
“The Central Texas community loves and supports its veterans. Through their donations, Honor Flight Austin has hit the landmark of taking its 79th flight to Washington, D.C., to pay tribute to our heroes,” said Matt Mathias, chairman of Honor Flight Austin.
Honor Flight Austin accepts applications from World War II and Korean War veterans residing anywhere in Texas, as well as Vietnam and Cold War veterans (that served between December 1941 and May 1975) that reside in the 14 surrounding counties of Austin. For more information and applications, please visit https://honorflightaustin.org/.