Ed Rafalski served in the Air Force from August 1968 to August 1972. He grew up in Calumet City, Illinois with one brother and two sisters.
When Turtle Gniadek received his draft notice for the Army, none of his friends were interested in entering the military with him.
Willie was born at the very end of World War II on June 3, 1946 and grew up with his family on the south side of Chicago.
When Pearl Harbor was attacked, Lindy Rossino knew he wanted to join the American Forces. Unfortunately, he was barely 14 years old.
Charles Solis was drafted in 1970 and served from 1970 to 1972 in the Army. He was working in a paper factory at the time.
Upon graduation from Fenger High School in 1966, Bill was obligated to start seeking employment, but employers were hesitant to hire young men of draft age since they could be drafted at any time following hiring.
Jerry Warren passed up an opportunity to return to the states in 1968 and stuck it out in the Central Highlands of Vietnam until his tour of duty was over.
As the year comes to a close, we have A LOT to be thankful for. This year has been an incredible one for Honor Flight Chicago as we began flying three generations of senior war heroes.
We did it! With the completion of our 95th flight this month, the 2019 season is officially in the books. On a dark and rainy day in D.C., 101 veterans traveled to Washington, including a season-high 16 from World War II!
The sixth mission for Honor Flight Chicago in 2019 took place last week, and it was another memorable day in our nation’s capital. This time we brought six World War II, 20 Korean War and 77 Vietnam War veterans for a total of 103 on the plane.
On a sultry 93-degree day, 104 veterans comprising four from WWII, 23 from the Korean War and 77 from the Vietnam War traveled with us to Washington D.C. for their Day of Honor.
All 103 veterans on #HFC92 were treated to a visit from General Colin Powell, who stopped by the World War II Memorial to say thank you and spend a few moments speaking to the group.
The Vietnam Era began for Honor Flight Chicago on June 5, 2019 as the organization flew its 91st flight to Washington, D.C., and first carrying Vietnam War veterans.
Honor Flight Chicago celebrated its 90th flight last week with 96 senior war heroes, including 12 from World War II.
Honor Flight Chicago kicked off its 12th season last week with 14 World War II and 80 Korean War heroes. Also on board were a couple of first-timers: us!
The DuPage Veterans Foundation will host its annual fundraiser benefitting Honor Flight Chicago on May 4, 2019 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Josephine Bogdanich has lived in the Chicagoland area all of her life, except for her tour of duty with the U.S. Army during World War II. She fondly recalls her time in the U.S. Army.
More than 200 veterans, volunteers and family members helped represent Honor Flight Chicago at the South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday, March 17.
The stars are coming out to support Honor Flight Chicago at the eighth-annual Law Enforcement Hockey Classic on Saturday, March 2, at The Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, Illinois.
The South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee announced that Honor Flight Chicago will lead this year’s parade as the Grand Marshal.