Upcoming 2026 Mission Dates
MISSION #82
WEDNESDAY / THURSDAY, JUNE 17-18
HANNIBAL, MISSOURI
All-Women Veterans’ Flight
MISSION #83
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20
QUINCY, ILLINOIS
MISSION #84
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
HANNIBAL, MISSOURI
Great River Honor Flight Announces Second
All-Women Veterans’ Flight
The Great River Honor Flight Board of Directors proudly announces that the 82nd mission will be held on June 17 and 18, 2026. This will be the second mission that includes an All-Women Veterans – the first one back in June of 2025. Veterans will gather in Hannibal, Missouri for an initial day of touring and shopping local venues plus a cruise on the famous Mark Twain Riverboat. The following day, a total of 45 veterans will leave for DC and a tour of their memorials. These veterans will bring the total of veterans who have been part of the Honor Flight experience to over 2,600 since its start in 2010. The Women Veterans consist of 9 who served during the Vietnam era, 18 during the Gulf War, 5 who served during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and the remaining 13 served between or after those conflicts. They represent Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Army National Guard.
The veterans on this flight come from Missouri (Marion, St. Louis, Pike, Ralls, Polk, St. Charles, Barry, Jefferson and Boone counties), Illinois (Adams, McDonough, Hancock, Dekalb and Greene counties), and Iowa (Jefferson and Henry Counties). We will also have several veterans who served with local veterans and are joining them from Arkansas, Arizona and Colorado. The veterans served in a number of roles among them Communications, Information Specialist, Medic, Tank Mechanic, Drill Sergeant, Behavioral Specialist, Field Artillery, Intelligence, Food Service, Medical Supply, among many others. A list of the veterans and their hometowns is included at the end of this News Release.
“We are so pleased to be able to honor our women veterans with this mission”, said Sharon Lake, Co-Chair of Great River Honor Flight. She added, “their service and sacrifice played an important role in our military’s preparedness.” Joining the veterans on the trip will be 5 women from the Great River Honor Flight Board of Directors.
The June 18th trip’s itinerary will follow the itinerary that has been so successful over the past 17 years while also including a special stop at the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery where they will tour the museum it houses. The itinerary includes starting out at HLGU’s Cafeteria at 1:00AM, before departing for St. Louis and a 5:50AM departure. In DC they will visit the Vietnam Wall, Korea Memorial, WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial, Air Force Memorial, and also observe first-hand the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. The veterans will head back to Reagan National Airport for their return flight. The expected arrival time back at Hannibal LaGrange University will be around 10:15PM for an exciting homecoming celebration to cap their day.
Great River Honor Flight was chartered on Veterans Day 2009 with its first flight scheduled on April 13, 2010. Our goal remains to honor 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 2,584 local Veterans to Washington D.C. since it was established in 2009. This trip will increase that total to 2,629. 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 or interview, contact Carlos Fernandez at csfernandez1951@gmail.com or
Great River Honor Flight
PO Box 3723
Quincy, Illinois 62305
Veterans attending
Mission #82
June 18, 2026
Great River Honor Flight #82
Itinerary
JUNE 17, 2026 - DAY 1
Following times are Central
10:00 am
All Participants meet at Best Western On The River in Hannibal for Check-in *401 N. 3rd St. Hannibal, Missouri)
10:30 am
Pre-flight meeting
12:00 pm
Lunch at Hotel then walk to Riverboat
1:00 pm
Check-in at Riverboat
1:30 pm
Riverboat Cruise
2:30 pm
Time for touring Hannibal Sites and shopping downtown store
6:00 pm
Light Dinner at Best Western On The River
Great River Honor Flight #82
Itinerary
JUNE 18, 2026 - DAY 2
Following times are Central
01:00 am
Check-in for participants of Honor Flight – Hannibal LaGrange University Cafeteria
02:00 am
Guardian briefing
02:15 am
Bus Loading – 2:30 am Depart HLGU
04:15 am
Arrive St. Louis Airport (Southwest Terminal)
05:50 am
Southwest Airlines Flight 3894 departs STL
Our clearance through security and the boarding process will be expedited by Southwest Airlines
FOLLOWING TIMES ARE EASTERN
08:55 am
Flight arrives at BWI (Baltimore)
09:30 am
Board Bus for trip to Washington
Lunch and Video of Memorials to be played during trip
10:15 am
Arrive at Vietnam, Korea and Lincoln Memorials.
Note: Longest stop of day. Due to proximity, this stop will also allow for visits to Vietnam, Korea and Lincoln Memorials. Bus will unload close to Vietnam Memorial. Bus will load close to Korea Memorial.
GUARDIANS: Reminder that this is not a guided tour. This gives the opportunity for each veteran to decide how best to use their time. Keep total time at this stop in mind at all times so as not to rush.
11:45 am
Depart Korean/Vietnam Memorial for WWII Memorial.
12:00 pm
Arrive at World War II Memorial (South Entrance)
Group picture to be taken.
12:45 pm
Depart WWII Memorial – Go to Air Force Memorial
1:00 pm
Air Force Memorial
1:30 pm
Depart Air Force Memorial – Go to Iwo Jima
1:45 pm
Iwo Jima Memorial
2:15 pm
Depart Iwo Jima – Go to Arlington National Cemetery
2:30 pm
Arrive at Arlington National Cemetery – Plan is to take our tour bus directly to the Amphitheatre inside Arlington. We will plan to see the Changing of the Guard at 3:00.
3:15 pm
Depart Tomb of the Unknown for Women’s Memorial
3:30 pm
Women’s Memorial – Museum Tour, Presentation of Certificates, Dinner.
5:00 pm
Head to Reagan National Airport
6:40 pm
Southwest Airlines Flight 1462 departs Reagan National (DC)
FOLLOWING TIMES ARE CENTRAL
7:50 pm
Flight arrives at STL airport/ Board Bus for HLGU, Hannibal.
10:00 pm
Approximate time of arrival at HLGU Basketball Arena- Upon our departure from St. Louis, we will have a better feel for what time we will be arriving for those picking vets and guardians up.
"Reflections from Great River Honor Flight Mission #80"
I just wanted to say thank you all again for doing what you guys do. We had such an amazing day with everyone. Meeting past acquaintances and gaining new friends. On a personal note. Growing up I heard stories from my dad about the negative coming home stories he endured. It makes me shudder knowing he and other brother/sisters of the country experienced that.
With that being said, I never in my 52 years witnessed my dad shed a tear, until......the terminal in Baltimore as the crier announced their arrival. He was overwhelmed with mixed emotions and pride that was lost to him for the last 54 years. With the crowd applauding and cheering he glanced up at me with tears in his eyes, with a gentle whisper he stated, "this was more gratitude and appreciation in those 2 minutes than he had his whole life."
I will sum this up with one statement. THANK YOU!!!! He had the time of his life on this trip. It was such a bonding moment for both of us.
I had to send you this picture. He was like a little kid on Christmas day going through his goodie mail bag.
Yours truly,
Michael Hudnut II
Our Veteran
& Guardian
Applications
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
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.
