The 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.
Our penultimate mission of 2025 was both our 125th flight and marked the 12,000th senior war hero we have transported to Washington, D.C., in honor of their service and sacrifice for our nation.
“Fifty-Five years later, but so much greater!” That’s the tagline Vietnam War veteran Joe Widlarz “made up” to describe his experience aboard HFC124 on August 20, 2025.
On a beautifully mild mid-July day, HFC123 arrived in Washington, D.C., carrying three Korean War and 112 Vietnam War veterans on their long-awaited day of honor, thanks, and inspiration.
After JFK was assassinated, Joe decided that while he believed killing was a sin, he was willing to volunteer to serve in the military if that would put him in a position to potentially protect a good man like Kennedy.
On June 18, Honor Flight Chicago brought one World War II, four Korean War, and 105 Vietnam War Veterans — as well as our as our inaugural Gold Star family — to Washington, D.C.
In May of 2005, the very first Honor Flight brought a handful of WWII veterans from Ohio to their newly opened Memorial in Washington, D.C. The trip was so impactful that a nationwide movement soon took root.
John Cosentino was born into a large, old-school Italian family in Orland Park in 1952. He describes himself as a mediocre student, but there was always a part of him that believed he could achieve bigger things if he had more self-discipline.
The 2025 season – our 17th! – debuted on Wednesday, April 9, with 113 senior war heroes aboard a Southwest 737-800 bound for Washington, D.C. Included in that number were one WWII veteran and 12 Korean War veterans in addition to 100 Vietnam War veterans.
We did it! With the completion of a phenomenal HFC119 mission, our 2024 flight season came to a close. Exactly 800 senior war heroes received their long-deserved Day of Honor, Thanks, and Inspiration in our nation’s capital this year.
“I have no idea if this is the normal monthly parade, but it was nothing like I’ve ever experienced in my life. I personally think it will change the rest of his life. I just want you to know you made a difference in someone’s life.”
August 28 proved to be one of the hottest days of the year in Washington, D.C., and yet, 116 eager senior war veterans never wavered in their desire to experience their Day of Honor, Thanks, and Inspiration in our nation’s capital!
Two years after celebrating our 100th flight, and one year after bringing our 10,000th veteran to Washington, D.C., our July 24, 2024 mission saw yet another historic milestone: The 11,000th hero to travel to our nation’s capital with Honor Flight Chicago.
On June 19, 112 senior veterans boarded Southwest Flight 8037 bound for Washington’s Dulles International Airport and their long-awaited Day of Honor, Thanks and Inspiration with Honor Flight Chicago. Four Korean War veterans and 108 Vietnam War veterans comprised that total.
Our 114th flight and the second of the 2024 season saw 115 veterans travel together to Washington, D.C., on May 15. Among them were one WWII Veteran, one Korean War veteran, and 113 Vietnam Veterans.
On April 10, we opened our 16th flight season with HFC113 comprising three WWII, 11 Korean War and 101 Vietnam Veterans traveling together to our nation’s capital.
“I started the day with a hole in my heart, and now it's halfway filled.” Those words were spoken by a teary-eyed Veteran as he de-planed from #HFC112 last month and entered his Welcome Home parade so many decades in coming.
September 20 was the penultimate flight for our 2023 Honor Flight Chicago season with 116 veterans traveling to yet another gorgeous weather day in our nation’s capital.
While Chicago scorched under a triple-digit heat index, it was a relatively cool and comfortable day in D.C. in the low 80s for our one WWII, seven Korean War, and 101 Vietnam War veterans.
On a sultry day in D.C., 111 veterans comprising one WWII, [...]
