Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois completed the 15th Honor Flight from Marion, Illinois earlier this month. Since its inception in 2016, Veterans Honor Flight has honored over 1,200 veterans from Southern Illinois and the surrounding communities, but the group isn't done yet.

"We have over 350 Veterans waiting for their turn on Honor Flight," chairman Bryan Questelle said. "We won't stop until every Veteran in Southern Illinois has been honored the way they deserve." To that point, the group announced two missions for 2026. Mission 16 will fly on Monday, May 18, 2026. Mission 17 will fly on Monday, September 14, 2026. Each mission is expected to carry at least 85 Veterans. Veterans are selected for Honor Flight based on age, with the oldes [...Read more]

Where will you be at 5pm on Tuesday, Sept 16th? Hopefully at the Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois to welcome home our Veterans from their day in Washington DC. Event organizers have been working most of the year on the Welcome Home event and want to invite everyone to come out and enjoy the festivities. “The community support for the previous Honor Flight Welcome Home events has been overwhelming!” stated Deborah Hogg, Welcome Home organizer. “There is no better way to celebrate our Veterans and honor them then by giving them a Hero’s Welcome Home.” The 10-member Welcome Home Committee meets monthly to plan the event which is expected to unite the community in honoring our Veterans. The Flight #15 Welcome Home Celebration will be held outside in front of the air [...Read more]

Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois has achieved a new record of 98.9% donation efficiency. Completely donation funded, Veterans Honor Flight and the Board of Directors have continuously worked to ensure the maximum amount of donated funds goes directly to the Veterans being honored on each Mission. In 2017, the first year of operation, Veterans Honor Flight achieved 98.5% efficiency, meaning 98.5 cents for every dollar donated was spent on direct Mission costs. Veterans Honor Flight does not employ anyone, nor is anyone affiliated with the organization paid or compensated in any way. Every member of the board, staff, flight team, welcome home committee, and other various teams are volunteers. "We have amazing volunteers," Chairman of the Board Bryan Questelle said. "We could [...Read more]

Where will you be at 5pm on Tuesday, May 6th? Hopefully at the Veterans Airport in Marion to welcome home our Veterans from their day in Washington DC. Event organizers have been working most of the year on the Welcome Home event and want to invite everyone to come out and enjoy the festivities. “The community support for the previous Honor Flight Welcome Home events has been overwhelming!” stated Deborah Hogg, Welcome Home organizer. “There is no better way to celebrate our Veterans and honor them then by giving them a Hero’s Welcome Home.” The 10-member Welcome Home Committee meets monthly to plan the event which is expected to unite the community in honoring our Veterans. The Flight #14 Welcome Home Celebration will be held outside at the front airport entrance. Th [...Read more]

Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois will continue the tradition of a fall mission with Flight 15 on Tuesday, September 16, 2025. Mission 15 is expected to take 87 Veterans and their Guardians to Washington D.C. The group's 14th Mission is Tuesday, May 6, 2025. "We have been so blessed to be able to continue this mission," Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois Chairman Bryan Questelle said, "We have Veterans waiting to go, and we want to continue the mission until every single Veteran in Southern Illinois has been honored." Veterans wishing to participate in Honor Flight must register online at www.veteranshonorflight.org or mail in an application. Applications received by May 16, 2025 will be considered for Mission 15. Honor Flight is provided completely free to eve [...Read more]

Gary Nelson of McLeansboro joined the US Army in February of 1968 to serve his country. Eventually deployed to fight in Vietnam, Nelson was honorably discharged in 1971 and returned to McLeansboro. Proud of his service, he applied to fly with Veterans Honor Flight in 2018. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, Nelson was overjoyed in February 2024 when he received the call to fly as an Honored Veteran with Veterans Honor Flight. Mission 12 departed early in the morning on May 7, 2024 with Nelson onboard. After a long day in Washington DC, stopping eight times to visit memorials and Arlington National Cemetery, Nelson returned with his flight to Marion to a hero’s welcome. Nelson returned home, reflecting on his Honor Flight experience and felt he must do something to help other Veterans [...Read more]

During the Welcome Home Celebration for Mission 13, which transported 89 honored Veterans to D.C., the Board of Directors of Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois announced the mission will continue in the Spring. "We continue to get applications, and the mission is not over," said Bryan Questelle, Chairman. "As long as we have Veterans to honor, and the funding to do it, we're going back." Questelle said Mission 14 is planned for Tuesday, May 6, 2025, continuing the history of the organization operating one spring and one fall mission per year. Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois has now flown over 1,000 Veterans from all across Southern Illinois and the surrounding area. Flights are completely free to Veterans and are provided completely by donations to the non-profit o [...Read more]