WASHINGTON D.C. \u2014 Florida Senator Ashley Moody met with 121 Florida veterans at the Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday as part of a special all-female Honor Flight to Washington. The group of veterans traveled from Lakeland to visit monuments dedicated to their military service.<\/p>\n
Honor Flights are organized trips that allow veterans to travel to the nation\u2019s capital to visit memorials honoring their service and sacrifice. <\/p>\n
The 121 veterans on the flight represent every branch of the military and every conflict since the Korean War. Collectively, the group\u2019s members provided 1,474 years of service to the United States. Participants on the flight range in age from 32 to the oldest being a 91-year-old Korean War veteran.<\/p>\n
Sen. Moody noted that the service members shared stories from their time defending the country during the visit.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur freedom exists because of the courage and sacrifice of the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces,\u201d Moody said. \u201cToday, I had the privilege of welcoming a group of Florida veterans as they toured the national memorials honoring their service. This extraordinary group of all-female service members shared powerful stories from their time defending our nation. Though we can never fully repay them for their sacrifice, it was an honor to meet them and offer my heartfelt thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florida is home to more than 1.4 million veterans, which represents one of the largest veteran populations in the country.<\/p>\n
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