Lebanon, TN — May of this year marked the 66th anniversary of the end of World War II, and country music entertainers expressed appreciation to several Wilson County WWII veterans for their military service during that worldwide conflict. The entertainers and veterans were assembled in conjunction with production of a documentary about Honor Air, a network of charter flights that transport WWII veterans from across the country to our nation's capital where they can see, first hand, the WWII memorial that was built in their honor.

The memorial honors the 16 million who served in the U.S. armed forces during WWII, the more than 400,000 who died and all of those who supported the war effort. It opened to the public on April 29, 2004 and was dedicated one month later. The inaugural Honor Flight consisted of six small planes that departed from Springfield, Ohio in May of 2005. Three months later, a flight departed from Hendersonville, N.C., leading to the development of a partnership that formed the Honor Flight Network or Honor Air. This move, coupled with an impressive waiting list of participants, led to the necessity of transitioning to larger commercial airline carriers. Today, it is a network of commercial charter flights departing from across the nation, all funded via various local fundraising efforts to ensure the trips are free to the veterans and their escorts.

WWII was a global military conflict lasting from 1939 until 1945 involving most of the world's nations, including all of the great powers. It is said to be the deadliest conflict in human history and resulted in an estimated total of 70 million fatalities. With the average age of WWII veterans reaching into the late 80s and 90s and only an approximate three million left, time is of the essence, and efforts are being made to ensure that, whenever possible, all remaining American heroes of that era have the opportunity to see the memorial that was built in their honor.

The Honor Air documentary follows award-winning country music singer/songwriter Billy Yates as he accompanies a group of Tennessee WWII veterans on an Honor Flight that departed from Knoxville. The passengers consist of the veterans, along with escorts, taking their first trip from the "Volunteer State" to Washington to see their memorial. Billy's salute to these brave servicemen and women will be a must-see for everyone when it is released for network viewing early next year. Yates has written a string of hits that has been recorded by some of country music's greats, including Choices and I Don't Need Your Rocking Chair by George Jones and Flowers by Gene Watson. Additional information on Billy Yates and his popular chart-topping music can be found on his website at www.billyyates.com.

Honor Air Documentary is a joint presentation by Winco Productions, an award-winning music video production company, and Ashley Enterprises, a marketing and promotional consulting company. These two Nashville-based organizations are proud to present Billy's amazing story of a Tennessee group of WWII heroes on their flight to our nation's capital to see their memorial. "It was a very moving experience," said J.R. Davis of Winco Productions as he described his flight with the veterans, "and I encourage everyone to support the efforts of this important program whenever possible." Billy Yates had previously worked on projects with the documentary producers and was elated to be part of their latest collaborative enterprise.

One of the producers, a Wilson County resident, has included several local WWII veterans in the documentary who have not, as of yet, had the opportunity to travel to Washington with the Honor Air program. Location for these interviews was coordinated for the Lebanon Municipal Airport by Myron Lasater, vice president of REDIAIR Flight Support. The veterans and production crew were elated to learn that they also had an invitation to film in the personal hangar of longtime aviator John T. Baugh of Lebanon, where various WWII memorabilia surrounded them. A special "thank you" was expressed to Mr. Lasater and Mr. Baugh for their thoughtful gestures.

Country music icon Lee Greenwood was asked to include his song God Bless the U.S.A. in the documentary. This inspiring patriotic song has been voted the most recognizable in the nation, even outranking God Bless America and the National Anthem. In fact, it was honored as the Country Music Association (CMA) Song of the Year in 1985.

"I wrote the song because of my desire to instill pride back in America," said Greenwood. "The song represents my family, my community and all the Americans who are proud of who they are."

Few artists have ever written a song that has become more a part of America's cultural landscape. For additional information on Lee's impressive career, visit his website at www.leegreenwood.com.

Not only is Lee Greenwood known as an award-winning entertainer, he is also well known for his patriotism and outspoken support of our troops, especially those in combat. For years, he has entertained at military facilities all over the world, including some of the most intense war zones. Greenwood's involvement resulted from his long-time friendship with the documentary's producers, and he graciously accepted their invitation to become involved with the project. Additional information on the Honor Air program can be found at www.honorair.com.

Country music singer and military veteran Rockie Lynne's Proud to Be a Soldier will also be used in the production. It comes from his album Songs for Soldiers. One-third of the proceeds from this record is donated to benefit troop-related charities. The inspiration for the album, Lynne related, came from his 21-day tour of Afghanistan, Southwest Asia and the Persian Gulf, where he and his band entertained U.S. troops stationed abroad. He truly understands the life of these military men and women, as he himself is a veteran who served three years with the 82nd Airborne, based at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Lynne has appeared nationally on Good Morning America, CMT, GAC, The Grand Ole Opry Live and Fox News. His debut single, Lipstick, spent an impressive 10 consecutive weeks in the No. 1 slot on Billboard's Country Singles sales chart. Complete information about Rockie can be found online at www.rockielynne.com.

Additionally, Colton James' song, Brave Men, a powerful tribute to American troops, will be included in the Honor Air production. Over the years, Colton has perfected his songwriting and guitar-playing skills, which has resulted in him opening for Toby Keith, Mark Chestnut, Chris Cagle, Joe Nichols, the Dixie Chicks, Lonestar, Keith Anderson and Trick Pony.

James proudly boasts that his most memorable performance was when he opened for Jason Aldean at Little Creek Amphibious Base. That's because it was here that 16,000 fans saw him perform Brave Men. The moving lyrics to this song earned him a standing ovation that night. "Those brave men and women do something incredible for us," said James. "They deserve being recognized for the sacrifices they make, and this is my small way of letting them know how much we appreciate them." For additional information on Colton and his music, check out his website at www.coltonjamesmusic.com.