Honor Flight Chicago’s mission is expanding once again!
With the dedication of the Desert Shield/Desert Storm Memorial later this month on the Mall in Washington, D.C., Honor Flight Chicago announced today it is accepting applications from Veterans who served after the Vietnam War up and through the end of Desert Storm.
Any Veteran who served actively from June of 1975 to July of 1991 is now eligible to experience the Honor, Thanks, and Inspiration of a Day of Honor in our nation’s capital visiting the memorials built in tribute to our service men and women.
Historic Navy Pier hosted the announcement, which featured messages from John Ptak, President of Honor Flight Chicago; Scott Stump, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and the President and CEO of the National Desert Storm Memorial Association; and Vietnam Veteran and Honor Flight Chicago alumnus Bill Browne. The Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery Memorial Squad presented the Colors, and Chicagoland legend and HFC supporter Wayne Messmer opened the announcement with the National Anthem.
Honor Flight Chicago’s mission began in 2008 to bring our WWII Veterans to their newly constructed memorial in Washington, D.C. The trips quickly became a way for younger generations to share one more heartfelt thank you with our Greatest Generation, and a movement was born. HFC expanded to included Korean War Veterans in 2016 and Vietnam War Veterans in 2019, and now, with addition of Veterans who served through Desert Shield/Desert Storm, four generations of American Veteran will travel together on future flights.
Honor Flight Chicago is the largest hub among 133 hubs in the nationwide Honor Flight Network. To date, HFC has flown nearly 13,000 Veterans across 132 flights: 6,360 from WWII, 2,298 from the Korean War, and 4,216 from the Vietnam War. HFC’s season currently runs from April through October with one flight per month on Southwest Airlines out of Midway International Airport.
WWII and Korean War Veterans will continue to receive the highest priority for flights when they apply, and Vietnam War Veterans are invited in the order in which their applications are received.
While nearly 1,000 Vietnam War Veterans are currently on the waiting list, Honor Flight Chicago knows there are thousands more in the Chicagoland area who have not yet applied. Whether the reason is to travel with service buddies in the camaraderie of fellow Veterans, to honor those who came before or who can no longer travel, or to personally receive the long overdue gratitude and Welcome Home that was not afforded to them over a half century ago, the time is now for Vietnam Veterans to sign up!
Desert Shield/Desert Storm Veterans who apply now will begin flying as Honor Flight Chicago’s Vietnam War waiting list begins to shorten, as early as 2028. DS/DS Veterans will be invited in the date order in which applications are received.
Honor Flight Chicago’s mission has been changing lives for 18 seasons. HFC is thrilled to be expanding once again as it approaches its third decade of building awareness and appreciation of the debt of gratitude America owes its Veterans for their service and sacrifice for our nation.