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Honor Flight: One Last Mission 2012

Highly Recommended

Distributed by Tugg, Inc., 855-321-8844
Produced by Clay Broga
Directed by Dan Hayes
DVD , color and b&w, 83 min.



Sr. High - General Adult
World War II, 1939-1945

Date Entered: 09/24/2013

Reviewed by Michael Fein, Coordinator of Library Services, Central Virginia Community College, Lynchburg, VA

With between 500 – 1,000 World War II veterans dying in the U.S. every day a group of volunteers around the country have come up with a way to honor their service before they are all gone. “Honor Flight” is a nationwide non-profit group of volunteers who raise money to transport these veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the relatively new National World War II memorial. Each of the veterans, who are in their late eighties to over ninety, is accompanied on their journey by a volunteer. The film focuses on the “Honor Flight” organization in Port Washington, Wisconsin—how it was formed, who works to keep it going, and how two veterans, Joe Demler and Harvey Kurz, help to raise funds by telling the story of their remarkable wartime service to groups and on the radio. Also featured are the stories of Orville Lemke and Julian Plaster. All, though in the twilight of their lives, perk up at the chance to tell of their service and visit the memorial with their former comrades. While we like to think that all these troops had the honor of a post-war triumph, most returned home and quietly got back to normal life: work, marriage, raising a family. Life did not wait for accolades and they went on from the war. This trip to D.C. and the return home is their triumph and the veterans are quite moved.

This reviewer has to say that his late father and a beloved late uncle were both veterans of the War and were also career military afterwards and wishes that both could have had an opportunity such as this. This film was quite moving without being overly sentimental and has justly earned numerous awards and accolades.

The technical aspects of this Blu-Ray production are superb. The sound has the added feature of being Dolby 5.1.

Highly recommended for all high school and adult audiences.

Awards

  • Best of Festival Documentary Feature, Richmond International Film Festival, 2013
  • Best of Festival Documentary Feature, GI Film Festival, 2013
  • Best Documentary Audience Choice, Omaha Film Festival, 2013
  • Guinness World Record, Largest Film Screening, 2012