Highlights from our 128th flight
marc.zarefsky2026-06-03T10:14:24-05:00Our 128th mission to Washington, D.C., brought a packed plane full of three Korean War and 113 Vietnam War Veterans to their Memorials in our nation’s capital on May 20, 2026.
Highlights from our 127th flight
marc.zarefsky2026-04-27T10:36:36-05:00Our 18th Honor Flight Chicago season is upon us! We kicked off the 2026 flight campaign on Wednesday, April 15, with the 127th flight in our history, bringing two Korean War and 106 Vietnam War Veterans to Washington, D.C.
Edward Johnson: No man left behind
marc.zarefsky2026-04-22T22:15:06-05:00We often hear the battle cry of “ NO MAN LEFT BEHIND“, but seldom have the opportunity to meet an individual who performed this mission. SP4 Edward Johnson was wounded in his left shoulder on December 18, 1965, for which he later was awarded the Purple Heart.
Chuck Bosko: Still not feeling like he did enough
marc.zarefsky2026-05-19T14:20:10-05:00First Sergeant Charles, “Chuck,” Bosko served in the US Army as a Combat Medic during the Vietnam War. Before Chuck joined the military, multiple relatives of his also proudly served our country, including his father, who served in the South Pacific during WWII as a Combat Engineer.
Michael Granberry: ‘Corporal Granberry is alive’
marc.zarefsky2026-04-22T22:12:16-05:00Michael’s enlistment code was an MOS 0311, also known as Grunt Rifleman / Ground Pounder. The riflemen are the heart of the Marine Corps. His unit was sent out on “Search and Destroy Missions” right away.
The Boys of Our Lady of Guadalupe
marc.zarefsky2026-04-13T06:25:28-05:00This is the story of three sons of Our Lady Of Guadalupe who also fought in Vietnam. They came home with deep emotional scars. But theirs’ is also a story of love, loyalty, and healing.
Terry Welch: A charmed and interesting life
marc.zarefsky2026-04-13T06:22:59-05:00Terry Welch says he’s lived a charmed life. It does seem that way. Despite being wounded twice during his one-year tour in Vietnam, multiple skydives and almost crashing his Cessna airplane, his life has certainly been charmed and interesting.
Joe Heater: Part of the Walking Dead
marc.zarefsky2026-04-13T06:22:49-05:00Joe Heater’s first childhood memory is going to a train station in the middle of the night to welcome his father home after his service as a Navy Seabee in World War II.
Benjamin Baldwin, Jr.: Flying aerial reconnaissance
marc.zarefsky2026-04-13T08:06:48-05:00Like most Americans he remembers the announcement of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Sunday afternoon, December 7, 1941, found him lying on the living room floor in front of the radio listening to “The Shadow”, a vigilante crime fighter.
Brandt Leischner: We were cowboys
marc.zarefsky2026-04-13T06:22:29-05:00Brandt’s path started in January 1969 with basic training at Ft. Polk, La. In March he transferred to Ft. Wolters, Texas, to begin the six-month long Warrant Officer Candidate (WOC) school, which included helicopter training in the OH-23 Raven.
John Whiteside: Meet The 22-Year-Old King
marc.zarefsky2026-04-14T14:49:04-05:00John knew that if he were drafted he would most likely be placed in the Army for a two year term. So at the age of 19 he headed to the recruitment office and signed up for a four year commitment in the Navy.
Highlights from our 126th flight
marc.zarefsky2025-10-24T11:04:31-05:00The 2025 season is complete! Thanks to the selfless efforts of our more than one thousand volunteers, Honor Flight Chicago successfully brought 779 senior war heroes to Washington, D.C., across seven flights this year.
Walter ‘Bud’ Guest: G.I. Bill Means No Bills
marc.zarefsky2025-10-13T18:37:40-05:00Walter “Bud” Guest was born in Philadelphia. After graduation from high school Bud was encouraged by one of his teachers to apply to the US Coast Guard Academy. He was accepted in 1968, right out of high school, with a full scholarship to attend the Academy.
William Blair: Max the Medic
marc.zarefsky2025-10-13T18:36:55-05:00William Maxie Blair, who goes by Max, grew up on the south side of Chicago in the Englewood neighborhood. He has a younger brother who also served in the Army during Vietnam. Both brothers will be traveling together with Honor Flight Chicago in October.
Mike DeSmedt: The Army Chose Him
marc.zarefsky2025-10-13T18:36:03-05:00Some experiences leave a lasting mark. For Mike DeSmedt, his tour of duty in Vietnam is one of them. Still, he wouldn’t hesitate to do it all over again. “I had to do something I wouldn’t have volunteered for,” he says.
Andrew C. Reitz: Personifying a ‘Can-Do’ Attitude
marc.zarefsky2025-10-13T18:35:19-05:00Andrew C. “Andy” Reitz witnessed the “fireworks” of the 1968 Tet Offensive from his Seabee barracks at Da Nang. He personified the Seabee “Can Do” attitude as a journeyman carpenter, equipment operator and construction foreman.
Chris Argianas: Feeling Like He Can Do Anything
marc.zarefsky2025-10-13T18:33:50-05:00Chris Argianas was born in Cicero, Illinois on April 3, 1934. Both of Chris’ parents were immigrants from Greece. Chris and his family stayed in Cicero for twelve years before moving to Brookfield, Illinois, where his parents had their own little family store.
Gilbert High: Inside the Army Security Agency
marc.zarefsky2025-10-13T18:32:04-05:00Growing up, Gilbert High dreamed of being a journalist or perhaps a teacher, and while he didn’t envision the Army being the key to achieving those goals, that’s exactly what happened.
Myron Gulych: A World Traveler
marc.zarefsky2025-10-13T18:30:48-05:00He’s a vagabond, a nomad, a traveler. He has lived in Costa Rica, in Thailand, in Cuba, on a sailboat in the Caribbean, even in the Cayman Islands. But he has never owned a house. He is a pilot, a scuba diver, a motorcycle rider, a ham radio operator with friends all over the world.
Daniel Burress: Proud to be a Marine
marc.zarefsky2025-10-13T18:27:53-05:00Daniel Burress still remembers the icy snow and the sting of the gusty wind. He was among hundreds of Marine recruits stuck high on a mountain in Southern California. Their two-week, cold weather war games were over but they weren’t going anywhere.