Tyson, Walmart Foundation Team for 4th Honor Flight

Almost 90 World War II veterans will visit memorials dedicated in their honor during a trip to Washington, D.C. on Saturday, October 15, as part of the fourth Northwest Arkansas Honor Flight.

Thanks to major donations from Tyson Foods, Inc. and the Walmart Foundation, as well as others, a commercial jet has been chartered to fly the veterans free of charge from Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport to Washington, D.C. and back. The group, which will include veterans as old as 98, will see the World War II Memorial, as well as other military memorials, during their day in the nation’s capital.

Flight organizers, who include members of Tyson Foods’ Veteran’s Business Resource Group, encourage the public to be at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport terminal at 7:45 p.m., Saturday evening, to be part of a special return reception for the veterans.

Tyson and the Walmart Foundation have each donated $25,000, which will cover a majority of the $65,000 expense for the trip. Donations are being accepted to help cover the cost of another flight the organization hopes to schedule in the spring of 2012.

Anyone who wants to make a donation or has interest in volunteering to help with a future flight, should call, e-mail or send a letter to:

Bill McKenzie, Tyson Aviation
10475 Tyson Place
Bentonville, AR 72712
479-290-5039
[email protected]

Honor Flight Network is a national non-profit organization that started six years ago in Ohio, with six small planes taking a dozen World War II veterans to see the memorial. Tyson and Walmart sponsored the first Northwest Arkansas Honor Flight in October 2009.