Honoring Veterans with Special Themed Missions
2025 marks the 16th year of operation for Great River Honor Flight. Since Veterans Day 2009, the local Honor Flight hub has been offering FREE trips to Washington, DC for local veterans. “From the very first trip on April 13, 2010 to the latest one on October 10, 2024, our mission has remain constant – Celebrating America’s Veterans by inviting them to share a day of Honor at our Nation’s Memorials,” said Carlos Fernandez, Chairman of the Great River Honor Flight Board.
“2025 will be a very special year with a number of special events, including the 75th mission as well as an All-Female Veterans flight scheduled for June,” commented Sharon Lake, Vice-Chair.
“Our impact on offering veterans the Honor Flight experience for FREE is due to the ongoing financial support over the years from the more than 13,000 donors made up of individuals, groups, businesses and the veterans themselves,” added Doug Reed, Treasurer.
2025 will feature 5 missions. Preparations for the first three trips are currently being made.
April 17, 2025 – 75th Mission
The first mission of the new year marks the 75th overall trip of the program. It will be from the campus of John Wood Community College in Quincy.
June 19, 2025 – All-Female Flight
A very special mission is planned for this date. It will feature the first ever All-Female Veterans group. Preparations for this special trip includes the usual preflight meeting as well as a tour of Hannibal sites, riverboat cruise and a dinner the evening before at the Hannibal American Legion Hall. In DC, a big focus of this trip will be a tour, presentation and dinner at the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.
August 14, 2025 – All-Adams County Flight to commemorate Bicentennial Celebration
As part of the year-long Bicentennial Celebration, this flight will prominently feature veterans from Adams County. Veterans from Adams hold the #1 spot with 751 having gone to date.
The remaining 2 dates in September and October, 2025will soon be announced.
The proof of the program’s success lies in the numbers it has accomplished. Among them:
74 Missions
2,381 Veterans Honored
429 WWII – 582 Korea – 1,268 Vietnam – 101 Armed Forces Veterans
(Including Guardians that number grows to over 4,000)
Veterans from 73 counties in Illinois (32), Missouri (34) and Iowa (7)
Veterans are encouraged to go to www.greatriverhonorflight.com and fill out an application. Our number one goal is to ensure that all local veterans are aware of this opportunity and sign up for a future flight.
For additional information, contact Carlos Fernandez at csfernandez1951@gmail.com or
Great River Honor Flight
PO Box 3723
Quincy, Illinois 62305