WASHINGTON — Midwest Honor Flight President and Director Aaron Van Beek is kind of the distinctive younger man.
He grew up in Northwestern Iowa, comes from a household with a powerful navy background, attended what’s now Dordt University and have become a instructor. During his junior yr of school, he made a significant life resolution.
“I heard about Honor Flight and beloved the concept of it…wished to go…after which [I] discovered that you might really begin one,” Van Beek says. “Then [I] discovered that there hadn’t been one in South Dakota since 2012, and it wasn’t open to Korea and Vietnam veterans; they took World War II veterans. And then there was one in Northwest Iowa that did the identical factor and it was now not lively and [the same in] Southwest Minnesota…and so loopy 20-year-old Aaron determined that that is what I wish to do and I wish to begin an Honor Flight.”
Van Beek lives in Sioux Center, Iowa, and with the overwhelming success of Midwest Honor Flight, not too long ago left his instructing job to function their CEO full time.
Midwest Honor Flight is mostly a household affair, with Aaron’s mother, Chris, serving as the lead medic for the group.
“He got here dwelling from Christmas break and he stated, ‘what do you concentrate on bringing Honor Flight to our space?’ and I simply checked out him and thought, ‘this child is gonna do it regardless.’ So I assumed, you already know, I’d as nicely leap on and volunteer and truthfully, it’s been the finest volunteer alternative I’ve ever been concerned with,” Chris Van Beek says.
With the success of Mission 10, greater than 900 veterans from South Dakota, Southwest Minnesota and Northwest Iowa have traveled to D.C. free-of-charge.
“I assumed, okay, one or two flights — good, we’ll be good; we may get some vets out to D.C. after which go transfer to Denver or Phoenix or one thing like that and go educate there,” Van Beek says. “Obviously issues modified and the reputation of what Honor Flight is continues to develop even to at the present time. We’re a lot larger than what I ever anticipated — by no means did I ever assume we’d get to 10 missions this rapidly in 5 years.”
Van Beek is hands-on throughout Honor Flight missions, greeting every veteran and caring for them alongside the method. He says each veteran has a narrative, and sharing this emotional expertise with them has been extremely rewarding.
Van Beek has undoubtedly touched the lives of each veteran and their households on Honor Flight — a grateful American exhibiting us it’s by no means too late, or too early, to make a distinction.
Stay tuned all week on NewsCenter1 and JoinCenter1 for in-depth tales from Midwest Honor Flight’s Mission 10!
Midwest Honor Flight is a hub of the Honor Flight Network. It’s a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) group that takes veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the memorials devoted to their service. The journey is offered completely free-of-charge to the veterans.
CLICK HERE for extra data on Midwest Honor Flight, together with easy methods to apply for a visit and data on donations.
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