Great River Honor Flight Announces
Final 2026 Mission #84 Scheduled for September 17
The Great River Honor Flight Board of Directors proudly announces that the 84th mission will be held on September 17, 2026 out of Hannibal, Missouri from the campus of Hannibal LaGrange University. A total of 32 veterans will take part on this trip. These veterans will bring the total of veterans who have been part of the Honor Flight experience to over 2,676 since its start in 2010. Of them, 21 during the Vietnam era, 5 during the Gulf War and the remaining 6 served between or after those conrflicts. They represent Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Army Reserves.
The veterans on this flight come from Missouri (Marion, Clark, Pike, Ralls, Lincoln, St. Charles, Pettis, Monroe, and St. Louis counties), Illinois (Adams, Hancock, and Peoria countie)s and Iowa (Lee and DesMoines Counties). We will also have one veteran who is from Los Alamos, New Mexico. The veterans served in a number of roles among them Fire Control, Turbine Technician, Minuteman Missile Maintenance, Supply, Weapons Technician, Security, Door Gunner, Artillery, Intelligence, Plumbing, among others to showcase the variety of key roles that are part of our Nation’s Armed Forces. A list of the veterans and their hometowns is included at the end of this News Release.
The September 17th trip’s itinerary will follow the itinerary that has been so successful over the past 17 years. It includes breakfast at HLGU’s Cafeteria prior to 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. There 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. That will follow with dinner at the Navy Memorial. 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 10:00PM.
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 2,644 local Veterans to Washington D.C. since it was established in 2009. This trip will increase that total to 2,676. 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 #84
September 17, 2026
Great River Honor Flight #84
Itinerary
SEPTEMBER 17, 2026
Following times are Central
01:00 am
Check-in for participants of Honor Flight – HLGU 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)
06:05 am
Southwest Airlines Flight 3811 departs STL
FOLLOWING TIMES ARE EASTERN
09:10 am
Flight arrives at BWI (Baltimore)
09:45 am
Board Bus for trip to Washington - Lunch
10:30 am
Arrive Vietnam, Korea and Lincoln. Bus loads near Korea Memorial
12:00 pm
Depart Korean/Vietnam Memorial for WWII Memorial.
12:15 pm
Arrive at World War II Memorial (South Entrance) - Group picture
1:00 pm
Depart WWII Memorial – Go to Air Force Memorial
1:15 pm
Air Force Memorial
1:45 pm
Depart Air Force Memorial – Go to Iwo Jima
2:00 pm
Iwo Jima Memorial
2:20 pm
Depart Iwo Jima – Go to Arlington National Cemetery
2:30 pm
Arrive at Arlington National Cemetery – Changing of the Guard at 3.
3:30 pm
Depart Tomb of the Unknown for Tour of DC/Navy Memorial
4:00 pm
Navy Memorial - Dinner.
5:00 pm
Head to Reagan National Airport
5:20 pm
Arrive at Reagan National Airport – TSA Line
6:50 pm
Southwest Airlines Flight 1726 departs Reagan National (DC)
FOLLOWING TIMES ARE CENTRAL
8:00 pm
Flight arrives at STL airport/ Board Bus for HLGU, Hannibal
10:00 pm
Approximate time of arrival at HLGU Basketball Arena
"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.
