Joe Manchin: “I am filled with so much pride every time I meet our military veterans who come to the Nation's capital to visit the…”

“I am filled with so much pride every time I meet our military veterans who come to the Nation's capital to visit the memorials built to honor them and to commemorate the wars in which they served so courageously. Today, 31 veterans from West Virginia, representing three generations of warriors, are here to see the memorials that commemorate their sacrifice and valor and for a special ceremony honoring World War II veterans. And on the occasion of their visit, I want to express my deepest gratitude to these special men who helped keep America free and made the world safer for liberty-loving people across our country and beyond our borders. I also want to say how much I appreciate the Honor Flight Network, which, since 2005, has arranged for World War II, Korea and Vietnam veterans from all over the country to visit the memorials in Washington--free of any cost to the veterans. In West Virginia, the driving forces behind the Honor Flight Network are the Denver Foundation and Little Buddy Radio, located in Princeton. These nonprofits were founded by Bob Denver--also known as ``Gilligan'' from the iconic television show ``Gilligan's Island''--and his wife, Dreama, a West Virginia native. But it was Charlie Thomas Richardson, the Operations Manager at Little Buddy Radio, who got the ball rolling in West Virginia.…”