On October 7, 2023, ESS Company President Dale Padjen was accompanied by his son, Tim, on an all expenses-paid flight to Washington, D.C., conducted by Stars and Stripes Honor Flight, Inc., a non-profit organization.

Dale, A U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran, travelled with more than five dozen fellow Wisconsin veterans plus their guardian travel companions. The group visited the World War II, Vietnam, Korea, Marine Iwo Jima, FDR and MLK memorials as well as Arlington National Cemetary. For many, it was their first trip to Washington, one that expense and logistics would have made impossible without the efforts of Stars and Stripes Honor flight.

The Honor Flight Network was co-founded by Earl Morse, the son of a Korean and Vietnam War veteran, and Jeff Miller, a small business owner and son of a World War II veteran. To date, there are approximately 130 Honor Flight Network regional hubs across the United States. The Honor Flight Network has escorted nearly 250,000 World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans to see their memorials in Washington, DC. This is done at no cost to the veterans.

For more information or to donate to this important cause, visit the national organization at: www.honorflight.org or, for the Wiconsin unit, visit: www.starsandstripeshonorflight.org