Honor Flight to Take 95 Veterans to D.C.

Land of Lincoln Honor Flight will take Mission #77 on May 5, 2025, departing from Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield.

Mission #77 will serve 95 veterans — including five Korean War veterans and 90 Vietnam-era veterans — representing 54 Illinois communities, along with participants from Colorado, California and Florida.

Veterans and their guardians will report to the airport at 4 a.m. before traveling to Washington, D.C., aboard a chartered Sun Country 737 aircraft. During the trip, participants will visit the World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War memorials, as well as Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknowns, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Air & Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia, the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial and the U.S. Air Force Memorial.

The trip is provided at no cost to veterans and is funded entirely through public donations.

The group is scheduled to return to Springfield at 9:30 p.m. May 5. The public is encouraged to attend a welcome home celebration at the airport.

“The welcome home at the airport is the experience our veterans earned and deserve - but never received.”

Organizers encourage friends, family and community members to arrive early. Free parking will be available, with volunteers assisting guests and shuttle service provided to the terminal.

Veterans who served at any time through May 7, 1975, are eligible to participate in an Honor Flight, regardless of where they served. Priority is given to seriously ill or terminally ill veterans. Applications for veterans and guardians are available on the Land of Lincoln Honor Flight website. The organization also offers a “Flightless Honor Flight” program for eligible veterans unable to travel.

Land of Lincoln Honor Flight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that receives no government funding and is operated entirely by volunteers. Organizers say administrative costs are approximately 2%, allowing nearly all funds raised to support flights for veterans.