Pub. 59 2018-2019 Issue 4

22 In a very spontaneous and thoughtful manner, these perfect strangers, who just happen to be at the monuments at the same time as the veterans, have the opportunity to shake their hands and give them a sincere thanks for all that they mean to America. On the flight back to Austin, Nyle Maxwell holds mail call over the airplane intercom, distributing letters to each veteran that their friends and family have written in advance of the trip. One last honor and thank you to our greatest heroes from a car dealer who represents the patriotism and generosity of 1,355 franchised dealers in 289 Texas cities and towns who, every day, do the right thing for Texas while providing essential transportation to ensure the quality of life of 28 million Texans. Nyle Maxwell, like many franchised dealers, served as Mayor of his hometown of Round Rock and has worked with another Texas Mayor, Lee Leffingwell, on providing Honor Flights to deserving veterans. Two-term City Councilman and two-term Mayor of Austin, Lee Leffingwell, a distinguished military veteran himself, began the Honor Flight program from Austin in 2011 during his first term as Mayor. A naval officer and pilot serving in Viet Nam, Leffingwell served on active duty and in the Navy reserves for 20 years and was a pilot for Delta Airlines for 32 years ending his career as a Captain flying Boeing 767’s and MD-11’s. Lee Leffingwell coordinates as many as eight honor flights from Austin per year, travelling with the entourage on many of the trips to assist the veterans in enjoying this very significant experience. Leffingwell’s son, Frank and his wife, Bethany also support Honor Flight as their family works with military heroes from a 17-county area around Central Texas to provide transportation to Washington D.C. with support from Southwest Airlines and patriotic sponsors such as Nancy and Nyle Maxwell and the Nyle Maxwell family of dealerships.  To learn more about this program honoring America’s heroes, visit www.honorflightaustin.com.  MILITARY HEROES — CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21