May 03, 2022
WASHINGTON – Following a letter sent
last week from U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Josh Hawley (Mo.) to Secretary
of the Interior Deb Haaland, the National Park Service has announced they will
reinstate police escorts for American veterans traveling to Washington,
D.C., as part of the Honor Flight Network. In their letter to Secretary
Haaland, the senators noted that Missouri-based Honor Flights were denied
vehicular escort services this year and urged the Secretary to reverse course.
"The Honor Flight program has touched the lives of hundreds of thousands
of veterans and their families,” said Blunt. “One of the incredible
privileges of serving in Congress is being able to welcome veterans to the
National Mall and thank them for their service. These memorials belong to the
veterans they were built to honor. I’m glad the Department of Interior has
reversed course and will resume police escorts to ensure Honor Flight travelers
can get to their destinations safely and quickly. I would like to thank Honor
Flight networks in Missouri and across the nation for bringing attention to
this issue and working with us to get it resolved.”
"This is the right decision – these police escorts should have always
remained in place,” said Hawley. “Our veterans are American heroes and
they deserve the very best when visiting our nation’s capital."
Read the entire response from the National Park Service here.