HONOR FLIGHT CHICAGO

Honor Flight Chicago brings WW ll vets out to Washington D.C., at no charge to them, to visit the World War ll Memorial. It is a great organization doing a great job honoring our troops from the Big War. Please click on the link below to find out more about their organization and how you can be put on the list for a visit.

Highlights from our 99th flight

We did it! Four flights, 10 weeks, 437 senior war heroes honored. The 2021 season was short, it was quick, and it was a RESOUNDING SUCCESS!!

With the completion of HFC99 last week, Honor Flight Chicago flew 11 WWII, 65 Korean War, and 361 Vietnam War veterans to Washington, D.C., in 2021 to thank them for their service, their sacrifice, and to say WELCOME HOME.

We were the very first Honor Flight hub in the entire country to return to action with HFC96 on August 18. We flew all year in a bigger plane with more veterans (shoutout D.C. Guardians, especially!). In addition to flying one regular Honor Flight Chicago mission per month, we also put the long-awaited and historic Operation HerStory — the first all-female veteran flight from Illinois — in the air in early October.

What we are most proud of is this: Our hub led the way in the return to flight during this pandemic. The office fielded call after call from other hubs asking “How did you do it?” “How did this work?” Our answer first and foremost was simple: our volunteers. We have always been proud of our volunteer family, but after this year we are positively bursting. YOU. ARE. THE. BEST.

Our efforts this year have gone a long way toward spreading the positive message of Honor, Thanks, and Inspiration not just in Chicago but around the country. In addition to being featured on every single news network in Chicago, Honor Flight Chicago missions this year have been highlighted on NBC’s Nightly News with Lester Holt and the TODAY Show; ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir; and on Veterans Day be on the lookout for heroes from HFC99 on CBS This Morning.

Flights may be over for the year, but we are still as busy as ever. Make sure to sign up for the Virtual or In-Person Operation Education 5K Fundraiser happening now (or in-person this Saturday, November 6, at Morton West HS in Berwyn!). We are hopeful that our annual Hockey Classic will make a return in 2022, as well.

And most exciting of all, the 2022 flight season will kick off with our biggest milestone to date: HFC100!

See you then!

Edna Ho and Doug Meffley
Directors, Honor Flight Chicago

OUR MISSION
Honor Flight Chicago’s mission is to Honor, Thank, and Inspire by building awareness and appreciation of the debt of gratitude America owes its veterans for their service and sacrifice for our nation.

OUR VISION
The centerpiece of our programming is the Day of Honor in Washington, D.C., visiting the memorials built in tribute to the service of our veterans from WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. This trip is provided at no cost to the veteran and is intended as a heartfelt thank you for their service and sacrifice from a grateful nation. Honor Flight Chicago encourages community and student participation in all of our programs, and uses lessons derived from the Day of Honor trip in its Operation Education program, inspiring students to learn about the service and sacrifice of our veterans.

With the welcomed support of generous donors and a caring public, Honor Flight Chicago intends to continue its mission to include veterans of wars – past, present, and future – as we recognize the bravery, determination, and patriotism of our veterans.

About Honor Flight Chicago

Honor Flight Chicago is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to recognizing the service and sacrifice of America’s senior war veterans by providing all-expense paid trips for these heroes to visit the Washington, D.C., memorials built in their honor. Founded in 2008, Honor Flight Chicago is the largest hub in the national Honor Flight Network and has flown more veterans than any other hub.