Great River Honor Flight

Our Veteran

& Guardian

Applications

Download Veteran Applications HERE

Download Guardian Applications HERE

2259 Local Veterans Flown To Date

(430 WWII, 527 Korean, 1181 Vietnam, 71 Armed Forces)

Download Veteran Applications HERE

Download Guardian Applications HERE

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IN REAL-TIME AS WE POST ON OUR FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

To the Staff of the Great River Honor Flight,

I am incredibly grateful to the Great River Honor Flight for allowing me to participate in Mission 70 to Washington DC. I know the planning and coordination required to execute this as well as you did was no small feat. My heart felt salute and thank you to all and I will remember this day forever.

Please let me give you a little background. I was a 19-year-old private in the Army when I arrived in Vietnam. I was a medic assigned to an infantry unit with nothing more than basic medical life saving skills. I soon discovered just how ugly war is. My hands have been soaked in the blood of my enemy and the blood of my friends. No amount of washing has ever taken the stain out. I have been scared like no person ever should be. This day brought back both emotional relief and overwhelming sadness. As I looked upon that wall I couldn’t help but think back at how many times I was given the opportunity to be among their names. I shook my head in disbelief that I was one of the fortunate ones to make it back alive. I still wonder why to this day. My mind gets stuck on how it could have turned out so different.

I confess. When entered the sports complex upon our return and all those people were there to welcome us back, I cried. I never felt so warmly appreciated for my service as I did upon our return from Mission 70. It was an emotional but a joyous day for me and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

David A Knotts

Command Sergeant Major (Ret)

U.S.Army

Great River Honor Flight Mission #74

2,381 Veterans Flown To Date

(429 WWII, 582 Korean, 1,268 Vietnam, 101 Armed Forces)

The Great River Honor Flight Board of Directors announced that the sixth and final mission of 2024, #74, will take place on Thursday, October 10th out of Hannibal LaGrange University in Hannibal. A total of 33 veterans will take part on this trip. Of them, 1 served in Korea, 24 served during the Vietnam era and the remaining 8 served before or after Vietnam. They represent Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Army National Guard.

This will be the 74th mission overall for local veterans since the program started serving the Tri State region in 2010. Since then, 2,347 local veterans who served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam and between those conflicts have previously participated in this program. The 33 veterans on this flight come from Illinois (Adams, McDonough, Hancock, Pie and St. Clair counties), Missouri (Marion, Pike, Schuyler, Adair, and Audrain counties), plus Iowa (Lee, Des Moines, Cedar and Henry counties) plus one veteran from Texas. The veterans served in a number of roles among them aircraft mechanic, platoon commander, infantry, heavy equipment operator, supply, a NATO Iron Curtain Task Force member and a husband wife team who were medics. A complete list of the veterans and their hometowns is included at the end of this News Release.

The departure and return on the October 10th mission will be from the campus of Hannibal LaGrange University in Hannibal, Missouri. The trip will follow the itinerary that has been so successful over the past 15 years. It includes a 2:30AM departure for a bus ride to Lambert Field in St. Louis where they will board their flight to Baltimore and then on to DC where they will visit the Vietnam Wall, Korea Memorial, WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial, Air Force Memorial, Navy Memorial and see the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery and make a stop at the Women’s Memorial in Arlington for a recognition of the two women on the mission. 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 the HLGU Basketball Arena for a rousing homecoming. The expected arrival time back in Hannibal will be around 10:15PM.

Great River Honor Flight was chartered on Veterans Day 2009 with its first flight scheduled on April 13, 2010. Our goal remains to honor the total number of local veterans who served our country with a FREE trip to Washington DC.

To date Great River Honor Flight, the Tri-States’ hub of the Honor Flight program has flown 2,347 local Veterans to Washington D.C. since it was established in 2009. This trip will increase that total to 2,378. 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

VIEW VETERANS ATTENDING FLIGHT #74

Great River Honor Flight #74

Itinerary

OCTOBER 10, 2024

Following times are Central

1:30 am

Check-in for participants of Honor Flight – HLGU Cafeteri

02:00 am

Guardian briefing

02:15 am

Bus Loading – 2:30 am - Depart HLGU

04:00 am

Arrive St. Louis Airport (Southwest Terminal)

06:05 am

Southwest Airlines Flight 4804 departs STL

Following times are Eastern

09:05 am

Flight arrives at BWI (Baltimore)

10:00 am

Board Bus for trip to Washington - Lunch and Video of Memorials

11:00 am

Arrive at Vietnam, Korea and Lincoln Memorials. Bus will load close to Korea Memorial

12:15 pm

Depart Korean/Vietnam Memorial for WWII Memorial.

12:30 pm

Arrive at World War II Memorial (South Entrance) - Group picture to be taken.

1:00 pm

Depart WWII Memorial – Go to Iwo Jima

1:20 pm

Iwo Jima

1:50 pm

Depart Iwo Jima for Air Force

2:00 pm

Air Force

2:25 pm

Depart Air Force for Arlington National Cemetery

2:35 pm

Arrive at Arlington Cemetery – Changing of the Guard at 3:00

3:30 pm

Stop at Women’s Memorial for presentation

3:45 pm

Depart Arlington for Navy Memorial

4:00 pm

Dinner at Navy Memorial

5:00 pm

Head to Reagan National Airport

5:20 pm

Arrive at Reagan National Airport

6:55 pm

Southwest Airlines Flight 1166 departs Reagan National (DC)

Following times are Central

8:10 pm

Flight arrives at STL airport/ Board Bus for HLGU - Hannibal

10:30 pm

Approximate time of arrival at HLGU Basketball Arena

The veterans

AFV stands for Armed Forces Veteran and represents someone who served in between or after major conflicts.

Conflict	Last	First	Town	State	Branch
Viet	Campbell	Delbert	Blandinsville	IL	AF
Viet	Cruse	Fred	Hannibal	MO	M
Viet	Davis	Ron	Hannibal	MO	M
Viet	Ewing	Mike	Macomb	IL	N


AFV	Flynn	Eddie	Greentop	MO	NG


VIET	Flynn	Marvin	Kirksville	MO	M/NG


AFV	Galvin	George	Burlington	IA	A
AFV	Green	Donna	Vandalia	MO	A
AFV	Hoyt	Kenton	Plymouth	IL	M
AFV	Hughes	Larry	Golden	IL	A


VIET	John	Lee	Quincy	IL	NG
VIET	Lathrop	RG	Griggsville	IL	A
VIET	Lindner	Roger	Keokuk	IA	A
VIET	Lowrance	Mike	Farber	MO	N
VIET	Lunt	Gerry	Quincy	IL	M
VIET	Marshall	Dennis	Keokuk	IA	N
VIET	Meyer	Ron	Keokuk	IA	N
VIET	Mihalevich	Joe	Burlington	IA	A


AFV	Owsley	Caroline	La Harpe	IL	A


Viet	Owsley	Max	La Harpe	IL	A
Viet	Penberthy	Reggie	Eolia	MO	M
Viet	Peterson	Lyle	West Burlington	IA	A
Viet	Robinson	Fred	Belleville	IL	A


AFV	Rost	Greg	Quincy	IL	A
AFV	Rost	John	Liberty	IL	A


KOREA	Rost	Robert	Stanwood	IA	N,A


Viet	Smith	Jerry	Mt. Pleasant	IA	N
Viet	Thomas	Ed	Granbury	TX	A
Viet	Twyman	Doug	Burlington	IA	A
Viet	Willis	David	Vandalia	MO	A
Viet	Werries	Bob	Quincy	IL	AF
Viet	Yahl	Bob	Kirksville	MO	A
Viet	Zumwalt	Ray	Hannibal	MO	N

Great River Honor Flight

74 Missions

2,381 Local Veterans

429 - WWII 582- Korea 1,268- Vietnam 101- Armed Forces

To be part of a future Honor Flight

Sign up Today at

www.greatriverhonorflight.com

Great River Honor Flight Celebrates 15 Years of

Honoring Veterans

2024 marks the 15th 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 19, 2023, 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.

“None of this would have been possible without 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. “Thanks to their commitment, the Honor Flight program locally remains strong and ready to honor our local veterans with these one-day trips that create life-long memories.”

There are many stories from the past 14 years, but the proof of the program’s success lies in the numbers it has accomplished. Among them:

69 Missions

2,226Veterans Honored

430 WWII – 577 Korea – 1,150 Vietnam – 69 Armed Forces Veterans

(Including Guardians that number grows to 3,898)

Veterans from 69 counties in Illinois (31), Missouri (31) and Iowa (7)

120,904 air miles traveled (more than 5 times around the world)

544 Memorials visited

140 buses chartered

11,694 meals served

Over 30,000 bottles of water consumed

More than 15,000 letters handed out during mail calls

The top 10 Tri State counties that veterans came from include Adams (699), Marion (284), Pike, Illinois (177), Hancock (174), McDonough (136), Ralls, Missouri (105), Lee, Iowa (95), Lewis, Missouri (77), Clark, Missouri (70) and Pike, Missouri (65). In addition, friends of local veterans from 12 states also were part of the total number. Thousands of pictures from the 68 missions were also compiled into DVDs commemorating this special day which each veteran and guardian received.

“And our mission is far from over,” stated Sharon Lake, Vice-Chair. “Our number one goal is to ensure that all local veterans are aware of this opportunity and sign up for a future flight.” Veterans that have served prior to July 1, 1985 are encouraged to go to www.greatriverhonorflight.com and fill out an application. It is the first step to ensure that they will be added to the list for upcoming trips.

2024 will feature 6 missions. Preparations for those trips are currently being made and dates will soon be announced.

For additional information, contact Carlos Fernandez at csfernandez1951@gmail.com or

Great River Honor Flight

PO Box 3723

Quincy, Illinois 62305

VETERANS	ILLINOIS
Missions	#1 - #20	#21-#40	#41-#60	#61-#68	TOTALS	Ranking
Adams	222	216	186	75	699	#1
Brown	11	9	5	2	27
Calhoun	0	2	6	0	8
Clay	0	1	0	0	1
Clinton	0	0	1	0	1
Cook	0	1	1	0	2
Fulton	0	2	2	0	4
Greene	1	0	0	0	1
Hancock	49	77	36	12	174	#4
Henderson	2	1	1	0	4
Jackson	1	1	0	0	2
Kane	0	1	0	0	1
LaSalle	0	1	0	0	1
Madison	0	0	2	2	4
Mason	1	0	0	0	1
McDonough	54	38	37	7	136	#5
McHenry	0	0	1	0	1
Morgan	0	1	1	0	2
Peoria	0	0	1	0	1
Perry	0	1	0	0	1
Pike	48	52	66	11	177	#3
Randolph	0	1	0	0	1
Rock Island	0	3	0	0	3
Sangamon	1	2	0	0	3
Schuyler	7	8	4	0	19
Scott	2	0	1	0	3
St. Clair	0	1	2	2	5
Tazwell	1	1	1	0	3

Warren	1	1	2	0	4
Will	0	1	1	0	2
Winnebago	1	0	0	0	1

TOTAL	402	422	357	111	1292

VETERANS	MISSOURI
Missions	#1 - #20	#21-#40	#41-#60	#61-#68	TOTALS
Adair	1	2	6	0	9
Achison	0	1	0	0	1
Audrain	1	1	5	1	8
Benton	1	0	0	0	1
Boone	0	0	1	0	1
Camden	1	1	0	0	2	#9
Clark	16	24	23	7	70	#9
Clay	0	1	0	0	1
Clinton	0	1	0	0	1
Franklin	0	1	0	0	1
Jackson.	0	1	0	0	1
Jefferson	0	0	0	1	1
Knox	10	14	9	3	36
Lewis	22	34	16	5	77
Lincoln	0	5	1	0	6
Linn	1	0	2	0	3
Macon	1	2	0	1	4
Marion	78	71	96	39	284	#2
Monroe	8	3	7	5	23
Perry	0	1	1	0	2
Pike	18	23	18	6	65	#10
Ralls	11	24	33	37	105	#6
Schuyler	2	1	3	0	6
Scotland	4	8	5	0	17
Shelby	9	19	13	1	42
St. Charles	1	2	1	0	4
St. Clair	0	0	0	1	1
St. Francis	0	1	0	0	1

St. Louis	0	2	1	0	3
Washington	0	0	0	1	1
Worth	1	0	0	0	1

TOTAL	186	243	241	108	778

VETERANS	IOWA
Missions	#1 - #20	#21-#40	#41-#60	#61-#68	TOTALS
Appanoose	0	0	0	1	1
Clark	0	0	1	0	1
Des Moines	0	2	3	2	7
Henry	0	0	2	1	3
Lee	21	12	38	24	95	#7
Linn	0	1	0	0	1
VanBuren	1	1	0	0	2

TOTAL	22	14	38	24	110

VETERANS	OTHER
Missions	#1 - #20	#21-#40	#41-#60	#61-#68	TOTALS
Arkansas	0	0	1	0	1
California	1	0	0	0	1
Florida	0	1	0	0	1
Idaho	0	1	0	0	1
Indiana	0	1	0	1	2
Kansas	0	0	3	0	3
Michigan	1	0	0	0	1
Oklahoma	0	0	1	0	1
Tennessee	0	0	1	0	1
Texas	0	0	0	1	1
Virginia	0	1	0	0	1
Washington	0	0	1	0	1

TOTAL	2	4	6	2	15
Grand Total	612	683	642	245	2195

To Celebrate America’s Veterans

by inviting them to share in a day of Honor at our Nation’s Memorials

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.

Great River Honor Flight first flight was 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 between those conflicts. Our goal is to continue to increase the total number of local veterans who have flown to Washington DC for free thanks to the financial support of so many individuals, groups and businesses in the area who remained supportive of the cause since its beginning.