QUINCY, Ill. — The Great River Honor Flight Board of Directors are announcing the second 2023 mission to Washington, DC will be on Thursday, May 11, 2023. This is the second of 6 trips planned for this year and will be from John Wood Community College in Quincy.
This will be the 64th mission overall for local veterans since the program started serving the Tri State region in 2010. Since then, 2,037 local veterans who served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam and between those conflicts have previously participated in this program. Approximately 29 veterans from Illinois (Adams, Brown, Pike, McDonough and St. Clair), Missouri (Marion and Lewis), plus Iowa (Lee) will be part of this mission. The group includes 24 Vietnam veterans, 1 Korea veteran and 4 Armed Forces Veteran who served between those conflicts. They will be accompanied by 27 guardians whose sole responsibility is making sure the veterans’ needs during the trip are addressed.
The departure and return on May 11th will be from John Wood Community College in Quincy. The trip will follow the itinerary that has been so successful over the past 13 years. It includes a 3:00AM departure for a bus ride to Lambert Field in St. Louis where they will board their flight to Baltimore and then on to DC. The first stop will be at the Vietnam Wall Memorial. This stop will also include visits to the nearby Korea and Lincoln Memorials. A special commemoration for Vietnam Veterans is opening that day next to the Reflecting Pool named Camp Legacy that will feature various military exhibits from that era. Next on their itinerary is a stop at the World War II Memorial, which sits next to the Washington Monument and where a group picture will be taken. Next will be a tour of DC as well as a stop at the Iwo Jima Memorial and then an emotional visit to Arlington National Cemetery including seeing the ceremonial changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The DC trip will conclude with dinner at the Air Force Memorial overlooking the Pentagon. The veterans will then head to Reagan International Airport for their return flight back to St. Louis. A charter bus will bring them back to John Wood’s Sports Arena for a rousing homecoming. The expected arrival time back in Quincy will be around 10:30PM.
Great River Honor Flight was started on Veterans Day 2009 with its first flight scheduled on April 13, 2010. Back then all the veterans were from World War II. That is the way it continued for several years until it was decided to expand to those veterans who had served during the Korean War. Since then we have also expanded to include veterans during the Vietnam War as well as those who served thru 1985. Our goal remains to increase the total number of local veterans who have flown to Washington DC for FREE.
To date Great River Honor Flight, the Tri-States’ hub of the Honor Flight program has flown 2,037 local Veterans to Washington D.C. since it was established in 2009. This trip will increase that total to 2,066.
Great River Honor Flight, a Missouri Nonprofit Corporation established in October of 2009, was created solely to honor America’s veterans that live in our area for all they have sacrificed by providing, free of charge, transportation to Washington D.C. to visit the memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices.
For additional information, contact Carlos Fernandez at csfernandez1951@gmail.com or
Great River Honor Flight
PO Box 3723
Quincy, Illinois 62305
| Conflict | Last | First | Nick | Hometown | State | Branch |
| Viet | Beedle | Richard K. | Rich | Belleville | IL | M |
| Viet | Buchholz | Larry L. | Larry | West Point | IA | AF |
| Viet | Campen | Robert H | Bob | Hannibal | MO | A |
| Viet | Cassady | James M. | Mike | Quincy | IL | M |
| Viet | Chaney | James D. | Jim | Mt. Sterling | IL | A |
| Viet | Chapman | Richard A. | Rick | Plainville | IL | A |
| Viet | Dedert | Richard J. | Rich | Quincy | IL | AF |
| Viet | Dickens | Thomas J. | Tom | Keokuk | IA | A |
| Viet | Driskell | Joe R. | Joe | Blandinsville | IL | A |
| Viet | Dulaney | Danny Ross | Danny | Quincy | IL | N |
| Kor | Dye | Robert L. | Robert | Keokuk | IA | A |
| AFV | Genenbacher | James E. | Jim | Quincy | IL | A |
| AFV | Henze | Lannie Rae | Lannie | LaGrange | MO | A |
| Viet | Janes | Joseph P. | Pat | Hannibal | MO | N |
| Viet | Martin | Michael R. | Mike | Quincy | IL | AF |
| Viet | Martin | Terry L. | Terry | Quincy | IL | AF |
| Viet | Mitten | Randy Joe | Randy | Spencer | IN | A |
| Viet | Mitten | Terry L. | Terry | Quincy | IL | A |
| Viet | Orozco | Robert L. | Bob | Fort Madison | IA | N |
| Viet | Roberts | Jerry | Jerry | Keokuk | IA | A |
| AFV | Roberts | Walter William | Walter | Quincy | IL | AF |
| AFV | Ruschill | Marvin | Marvin | New Canton | IL | N |
| Viet | Scott | Robert L. | Bob | Quincy | IL | N |
| Viet | Smith | Ralph R. | Ralph | Fowler | IL | A |
| Viet | Smith | Tommy Lee | Tom | Macomb | IL | NG |
| Viet | Stowe | Gary M | Gary | Palmyra | MO | N |
| Viet | Sutton | James F. | James | Hannibal | MO | A |
| Viet | Sutton | John L. | John | Cedar Hill | MO | A/NG |
| Viet | Vahle | Harold D. | Harold | Quincy | IL | A |