Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois has announced that Flight 7 will transport 87 of our area’s honored veterans to Washington D.C. on Tuesday, September 28, 2021. Originally planned for May 5, 2020, Flight 7 has been postponed several times due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. With the latest guidance from the CDC and relaxing of local COVID-19 restrictions, it is now possible to conduct an Honor Flight and to ensure veteran safety. All veterans originally selected to fly on May 5 remain on the flight. Veterans have also been given the option to fly at a later time, if they wish. The flight will depart Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois at 5:15am and return at 8:00pm. The public is invited to attend the Welcome Home ceremony beginning at 5:00pm. Those in attendance d [...Read more]

The Honor Flight Network, the national organization which governs all Honor Flight hubs has announced that all passengers on honor flights in 2021 will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The two dose vaccine from Moderna or Pfizer, or the single dose vaccine from Johnson and Johnson are sufficient. For those who receive a two dose vaccine, the second dose must be received at least 14 days prior to the flight. For those who receive the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, the dose must be administered at least 28 days prior to flying.  The vaccine requirement applies to all veterans, guardians, and staff who participate in the flight. No exceptions will be made. Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois continues to plan the 7th flight for the fall of 2021. While we cannot yet c [...Read more]

Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois has been notified by The Honor Flight Network that flights are not allowed prior to July 1, 2021. Because of this, Veterans Honor Flight is planning to conduct Flight 7 in the Fall of 2021. Originally scheduled for May 2020, Flight 7 veterans and guardians have been selected. Everyone originally scheduled to fly remains on the flight.  Veterans Honor Flight continues to accept veteran applications via the web site at www.veteranshonorflight.org or by mail. A downloadable application is also available on the web site. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Veterans Honor Flight was unable to fly in 2020. Despite this, Veterans Honor Flight has continued to receive donations from the comm [...Read more]

Veterans Honor Flight is proud to announce new face masks with our logo on them. Each mask purchased is a donation to Veterans Honor Flight! Click here to buy your face mask now! [...Read more]

As you know, our travel plans for Honor Flight have been drastically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic currently worldwide. Based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Honor Flight Network, as well as federal and state governments, our plans for Honor Flight have changed once again. Our plans to fly this fall have been postponed to Spring 2021. Most importantly, all veterans, and their guardians, selected for Flight 7 remain on the flight. No action is necessary. Likewise, your guardian selection remains unchanged. The Honor Flight Network has imposed a travel ban through December 31, 2020. Based on multiple factors, we agree this is the correct decision to provide the safest and absolute best flight possible for our Veterans. The Board of Directors of Vet [...Read more]

The Veterans Honor Flight Board of Directors was informed Thursday that The Honor Flight Network (HFN), the national organization which coordinates Honor Flight hubs, extended the ban on Honor Flights through June 30, 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis. Currently, Maryland’s stay at home order is “indefinite” in duration and Virginia’s stay home order runs through at least June 10. Also, Arlington National Cemetery remains closed to the public and there is no date certain upon which Arlington National Cemetery will reopen to the public and/or resume public viewing of the changing of the guard. Because of this mandatory suspension, Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois will not be able to fly in June as we had hoped. As a result of this, all Spring flights ha [...Read more]

The Board of Directors of Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois has voted to delay the two flights planned for the Spring of 2020 until further notice. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to the veterans whom these flights serve. The Honor Flight Network (HFN), the national organization which governs all Honor Flight hubs has mandated no hub fly to Washington D.C. prior to June 1, 2020. Additionally, HFN has enacted a ban on all Honor Flight meetings, gatherings, and fundraisers through May 31, 2020. This prevents Veterans Honor Flight from holding guardian training or veteran medical evaluations prior to the previously scheduled June 9 flight date. In order to preserve the Honor Flight experience and to provide the necessary safety to our veterans, the June 9 flight [...Read more]

Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois is actively monitoring the current COVID-19, commonly known as “coronavirus,” situation. The Board of Directors is in constant communication with The Honor Flight Network, our national office, regarding the situation and how it may affect Honor Flight activities. The US Centers for Disease Control has issued guidance advising elderly Americans to avoid non-essential travel due to the risk of complication from a COVID-19 infection. Given the apparent ease of distribution of the virus, travel places individuals in increased risk of exposure to those already infected. On March 11, the Honor Flight Network issued a ban on Honor Flight hubs traveling to Washington D.C. through April 30, 2020 due to the COVID-19 threat. Honor Flight hubs are r [...Read more]

In anticipation of the seventh flight of Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois, veteran selection packets have been mailed. Flight 7 will transport 87 veterans to Washington D.C. on May 5, 2020. In accordance with the policies of Honor Flight, World War II veterans were selected first, followed by those serving between WWII and the Korean War, then Korean War veterans, and so on. At this time, Flight 7 includes veterans born on or before October 1943. Veterans who have applied for Honor Flight with Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois and were not selected for Flight 7 will remain activ [...Read more]

Area Walmart stores continued their support of Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois with a donation of $5,000 today. Walmart is one of many Southern Illinois businesses which support the donation-funded organization. With today’s donation, Walmart has donated $53,000 to Veterans Honor Flight in addition to providing supplies for flights and other events. “Partners like Walmart are what make our mission possible,” said Bryan Questelle, Chairman of the Board of Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois. “They’ve been a great pa [...Read more]