Honoring all who serve.A tribute to the United States Armed Forces.
For six branches and more than two centuries, our service members have stood the watch — defending freedom at home and abroad. This is our thank-you: their flags, their mottos, their missions, and the gratitude of the country they protect.
- 6
- Branches of Service
- 1775
- Oldest Branches Founded
- 18.5M
- Veterans in America
- 1.3M
- On Active Duty Today
“The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war… shall be their own choice. But once that call is answered, they deserve a grateful nation.”
— George Washington
The Promise That Begins Every Service
Before the uniform, before the first post, every enlisted service member swears the same oath — a solemn promise to defend the Constitution and the nation it governs. Hear it spoken, in unison, by those who have just earned the title.
“I, [state your name], do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
The full oath appears above. Tap the play button to hear the recruits recite it together, phrase by phrase.
The oath, phrase by phrase
- 1The callRaise your right hand and repeat after me.
- 2I, state your name…I, (state your name)…
- 3…do solemnly swear……do solemnly swear…
- 4…to support and defend……to support and defend the Constitution of the United States…
- 5…against all enemies……against all enemies, foreign and domestic;
- 6…and to bear true faith……and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
- 7…that I will obey the orders……that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States…
- 8…and the orders of the officers……and the orders of the officers appointed over me…
- 9…according to regulations……according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
- 10So help me God.So help me God.
From the first recruit at Lexington to the newest guardian of the high frontier, this oath is the thread that binds every branch — Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard — into one nation's shield.
Six Branches. One Nation's Shield.
Each branch answers the call in its own way — on land, at sea, in the air, and across the stars. Explore the flags, mottos, and missions of the United States Armed Forces.
United States Army
“This We'll Defend”
The oldest and largest of the armed forces, the Army secures our nation on land — projecting power, protecting populations, and standing ready wherever freedom is challenged.
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United States Marine Corps
“Semper Fidelis”
Always faithful — the Marines stand as the nation's force in readiness, first to fight and first to respond whenever the country calls.
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United States Navy
“Honor, Courage, Commitment”
From the decks of the Continental Navy to today's carriers and submarines, the Navy keeps the seas open, defends commerce, and projects American resolve across every ocean.
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United States Air Force
“Aim High … Fly-Fight-Win”
Guardians of the skies and of space, the Air Force holds the high ground — projecting power and protecting the homeland from above.
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United States Space Force
“Semper Supra”
Always above — the newest branch safeguards our way of life from the ultimate high ground, defending the satellites and systems our modern world depends on.
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United States Coast Guard
“Semper Paratus”
Always ready — the Coast Guard protects our shores, rescues mariners, enforces the law at sea, and stands watch over every American coastline.
Explore tributeHave you been on your Honor Flight yet?
If you or a loved one served in the United States Armed Forces, our nation has built monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. to honor your sacrifice. The Honor Flight Network flies American veterans to our nation’s capital to visit those memorials — at absolutely no cost to the veteran.
- 339,000+
- Veterans Flown
- 134
- Active Hubs Nationwide
- $0
- Cost to the Veteran
- 4-Star
- Charity Navigator Rating
What Every Veteran Should Know
100% Free of Charge for Veterans
Veterans never pay a single dime. Flights, deluxe motorcoach transportation, meals, entry, safety gear, and commemorative merchandise are fully funded by public donations and sponsors.
Guided by a Dedicated Guardian
Each veteran is accompanied by a trained volunteer guardian who assists with mobility, safety, wheelchairs, meals, and companionship throughout the entire journey. A guardian typically looks after one or two veterans — the exact ratio varies by hub and by each veteran's needs.
Priority by Era & Critical Illness
Top priority is given to surviving World War II veterans, followed by Korean War, Vietnam War, and any veteran of any service era facing a critical illness (TLC program).
The Welcome Home You Deserve
From water-cannon salutes on arrival to thousands of cheering citizens, military honor guards, and pipe-and-drum bands at the airport return — experience the hero's welcome America always owed you.
The History of Honor Flight
From a doctor's simple idea to a national movement — how America found a way to say thank you before it was too late.
A Doctor's Promise
Honor Flight began with Earl Morse, a retired Air Force captain and physician assistant working at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospice in Springfield, Ohio. After the World War II Memorial opened in Washington, D.C. in 2004, Earl asked his elderly patients if they'd ever visit it. Nearly all said they wished they could — but never would, too frail or too poor to make the trip. Earl made them a promise: he would get them there.
Twelve Heroes, Six Small Planes
On a clear May morning in 2005, Earl and a handful of volunteer pilots flew twelve World War II veterans from Springfield, Ohio to Washington, D.C. in small private aircraft. There were no commercial jets, no motorcoaches — just ordinary pilots who believed these heroes deserved to see the memorial built in their honor. Every veteran came home changed. The movement had begun.
From One Hub to 134
Word spread. By 2006, Honor Flight Network was formally organized, and hubs began opening across the country. Today, 134 hubs in 43 states have flown more than 339,000 veterans to their memorials — entirely free of charge. The mission expanded to honor Korean War and Vietnam War veterans, and the TLC Program was created for critically ill veterans of any era who cannot wait.
"Before It's Too Late"
Honor Flight's founding urgency was simple and heartbreaking: World War II veterans were passing away at a rate of roughly 495 per day. The network exists to say thank you in person, while we still can. That same urgency now drives the flights for Korea, Vietnam, and critically ill veterans of every era. The promise endures: no veteran should leave this world without hearing their nation's gratitude.
What a Veteran Can Expect
From the early-morning send-off to the hero's welcome home — here is what your Honor Flight day looks like, start to finish.
- 1Before You Fly
Apply & Get Approved — At No Cost
Submit a simple application (online or by mail) through your local hub. There is no fee to apply and no cost to fly. Once approved, you'll be assigned a flight date and paired with a volunteer Guardian, who will call you beforehand to introduce themselves and review your needs. (A guardian typically looks after one or two veterans — the exact ratio varies by hub and by each veteran's needs.)
- 2Early Morning
The Send-Off
You'll meet your fellow veterans and Guardian at the airport before dawn. Expect a patriotic send-off — color guards, cheering crowds, volunteers handing out coffee, and often a military band. Your Guardian handles your bags, wheelchair, and boarding so you can simply enjoy the moment.
- 3In Washington, D.C.
The Memorials
After a short flight, deluxe motorcoaches take you to the World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam Veterans Memorials, Arlington National Cemetery, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. You'll have time to reflect, to remember fallen friends, and to be honored at each stop — all at no cost to you.
- 4Meals & Care
Everything Provided
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, water, and commemorative merchandise are all provided free of charge. Your Guardian stays by your side all day for mobility, safety, and companionship — you never walk alone.
- 5The Return
The Welcome Home You Deserve
The day ends with a hero's welcome back at your home airport — water-cannon salute, thousands of cheering citizens, military honor guards, and often a pipe-and-drum band. For many veterans, this is the homecoming they never received. Bring tissues — this is the moment that stays with you forever.
It costs the veteran nothing. Flights, ground transportation, meals, entry fees, safety gear, and commemorative items are all fully funded by public donations, corporate sponsors, and the volunteers who give their time. If anyone ever asks you to pay for an Honor Flight, it is not Honor Flight — the trip is always free.
The Lone Eagle Program
Not every veteran lives near one of the 134 regional hubs. If you or a loved one lives more than 120 miles from a local hub or in an unserved area (including U.S. territories and overseas), the Honor Flight Network’s Lone Eagle Program ensures you still get your day of honor in Washington, D.C. — entirely free of charge.
🦅 Who Qualifies
Senior veterans who served through May 1975 (WWII, Korea, Cold War, Vietnam) living 120+ miles from a hub or without a local hub nearby.
🩺 TLC Initiative
Their Last Chance (TLC) provides expedited priority for terminally or critically ill veterans of any era who have less than one year to live.
🤝 Volunteer Guardians
Lone Eagle veterans travel with a dedicated guardian — a family member, friend, or trained volunteer — who stays at their side for the entire weekend. (On standard hub flights, a guardian typically looks after one or two veterans; the exact ratio varies by hub and by each veteran's needs.)
The Story of the Lone Eagle
As the Honor Flight Network grew to 134 hubs, a painful truth remained: thousands of eligible veterans lived in rural counties, remote territories, and overseas postings with no hub within reach. A dairy farmer in Montana, a retiree in the Alaska bush, a veteran living on a Pacific island — all had served, and all were being left behind by geography alone. The Network refused to let a zip code stand between a hero and their memorial.
The program took its name from Charles Lindbergh, the original "Lone Eagle" — the pilot who proved that one person, flying alone across an impossible distance, could still reach the world's capital. In that same spirit, Lone Eagle flies a single veteran — or a small group — from anywhere to Washington, D.C. when no regional hub can. The promise is unchanged: no veteran is ever too far away to be honored.
Lone Eagle veterans are flown individually or in small groups on commercial flights into the D.C. area, then joined by a personal guardian — a family member, friend, or trained volunteer — who stays at their side for the entire weekend. Every expense, from airfare and hotel to meals and ground transport, is covered by the Network at no cost to the veteran. The experience mirrors a full hub flight: the same memorials, the same honor guards, the same welcome home.
From Lone Eagle grew the Their Last Chance (TLC) initiative — an expedited track for terminally or critically ill veterans of any era, regardless of where they live. When a veteran's doctor confirms time is short, TLC moves them to the front of every line, sometimes arranging a flight within days. It is the Network's most urgent promise: that no hero waits, and none is forgotten.
Honor Flight Contact Information
Connect with Honor Flight to submit an application for yourself, your parent, or a comrade — through your local hub, the national office, or the Lone Eagle program.
Honor Flight Network
National Headquarters · Arlington, VA
Serves veterans across the nation through local hubs, as well as veterans in areas without a local hub via the Lone Eagle program and the TLC Program for critically ill veterans of any era.
Arlington, VA 22202
Lone Eagle Program
Nationwide Direct Flight Network
Designed specifically for senior veterans (and critically ill veterans under TLC) who live in regions, territories, or rural areas without a local Honor Flight hub.
Honor Flight Columbus
Central Ohio Hub · Worthington, OH
Dedicated to honoring central Ohio’s senior veterans with a one-day trip to Washington, D.C. All flights depart from John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH). Free for honored veterans.
Worthington, OH 43085
A Place at the Table
Across America, at banquets and ceremonies, a small table is set for one — a place kept for those who never came home. We honor the prisoners of war and those still missing in action, and we keep faith with the families who wait.
Set for One · Never Forgotten
Official POW·MIA FlagThe Missing-Man Table
Each item on the table carries a meaning. Together they tell the story of those who are gone but never forgotten.
- The table — small, for one — set for the service member who is not here, reflecting their isolation.
- The white cloth — the purity of their motives in answering the call to serve.
- The single red rose — the life of each fallen comrade, and their families kept waiting.
- The red ribbon — the love and the blood shed in our nation's defense.
- A slice of lemon — their bitter fate — the bitter sweet of what they endure.
- A pinch of salt — the tears of the families, and of our nation, that fall for them.
- The glass, inverted — they cannot toast with us tonight — and we remember.
- The empty chair — the missing — the fallen, the not yet returned — who should be here.
- A lit candle — the light of hope, that they will one day come home.
The Story of the POW/MIA Flag
In 1971, Mary Hoff — the wife of a Navy pilot listed as missing in action over North Vietnam — asked for a symbol to keep the plight of POW/MIAs before the nation. Newt Heisley, a World War II veteran and pilot himself, designed the stark black-and-white flag: a silhouette of a young man in profile, a guard tower and barbed wire behind him, and the words "You Are Not Forgotten."
The flag was adopted by the National League of POW/MIA Families and, in 1990, became the first flag other than Old Glory to fly over the White House. Today it is required by federal law to fly over the Capitol, the White House, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, every U.S. Postal Service office, and every major military installation — on six designated days each year, and at many locations, every day.
More than 81,000 American service members remain unaccounted for from conflicts since World War II. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency continues the mission of bringing them home — and the flag reminds us that the promise endures.
“Let us resolve that they will never be forgotten — and let us bring them home.”
More Than a Uniform
Honor isn't only for those who wear it. It belongs to the families, the fallen, and the country they keep free.
Service & Sacrifice
Active duty, guard, reserve, and veterans — millions of Americans have set aside their own lives, careers, and comfort to stand between our nation and harm. They miss birthdays, holidays, and first steps. They endure long separations, demanding deployments, and the unseen weight of carrying the nation's safety on their shoulders.
From the first shots at Lexington to the watch kept in orbit today, the call to serve has been answered by ordinary people doing extraordinary things — asking little in return but the trust of the country they defend.
“The brave never die, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men.”
Families Who Wait
Behind every service member is a family holding the line at home — spouses who become single parents overnight, children who learn to read a parent's face on a crackling video call, and parents who watch the news a little more closely when the deployments come. Their quiet strength and sacrifice hold up our country too.
Military families move on orders, rebuild lives at every new post, and carry the worry that never fully lifts until the homecoming. They serve without a uniform, and their service is no less real.
“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”
The Fallen
We remember those who gave everything. More than 1.3 million Americans have died in service since the founding of our republic — each one a name, a story, a family left behind. Gold Star families carry a loss the rest of us owe our freedom to, and they carry it every single day.
From the fields of Gettysburg to the beaches of Normandy, from the mountains of Korea to the deserts of the Middle East, their sacrifice is written into the ground we walk free upon. We will not forget.
“Never was so much owed by so many to so few.”
Benefits a Grateful Nation Offers
From national parks to travel, technology, and home, thousands of businesses and the federal government offer discounts and benefits to those who served — and to their families. Browse the full directory.
Honor, Remember, and Learn
Three more ways this tribute carries their names forward.
Memorial Day
The history, the red poppy, and how to observe the day with the respect it deserves — for the more than one million who gave their lives.
Explore→Sacred GroundNational Memorials
The monuments and memorials across our nation that keep the memory of our fallen and our veterans alive — from Arlington to the newest tributes.
Explore→Lest We ForgetVeterans Stories
A living wall where we honor the men and women of the Armed Forces by name and by story. Add a veteran you knew, loved, or served beside.
Explore→Remember, Visit, and Give Back
Four more ways this tribute carries the gratitude of a nation — for the fallen, for those far from home, and for the heroes on four paws.
Funeral Honors & Burial
How a grateful nation honors a veteran at their final rest — the folding of the flag, the playing of Taps, Arlington and national cemeteries, and the burial benefits earned through service.
Explore→Lest We ForgetNational Memorials & Museums
A guide to the nation's monuments — Arlington, the WWII Memorial, the Vietnam Wall, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier — with visiting info and how to pay respects.
Explore→Give BackSupport Our Troops
Actionable ways for civilians to give back — send a care package, adopt a deployed unit, or write a letter of thanks to a service member currently serving far from home.
Explore→Four-Legged HeroesMilitary Working Dogs
A tribute to the four-legged service members — their history from Sergeant Stubby to today, K-9 Veterans Day, and how to adopt a retired military dog.
Explore→“Land of the free, because of the brave.”
To every service member, veteran, military family, and Gold Star family — thank you for your service and your sacrifice. This tribute is ours, but the freedom is yours to defend, and ours to honor.