Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois is calling on the entire community to come out and celebrate 88 local veterans at the Flight #16 Welcome Home Celebration on Monday, May 18, beginning at 5:00 p.m. The free, family-friendly event will be held outdoors in front of the airline terminal at Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois.
After spending the day touring memorials and monuments in Washington, D.C., the veterans will return home to a hero’s welcome — complete with food trucks, live entertainment, a kids’ zone, and hundreds of flag-waving neighbors lining the Freedom Path.
“The community support for the previous Honor Flight Welcome Home events has been overwhelming. There is no better way to celebrate our veterans and honor them than by giving them a hero’s welcome home.” —
Deborah Hogg, Welcome Home Organizer
WHAT TO EXPECT
Food & Drinks: Food service begins at 5:00 p.m. and continues until all 88 veterans have passed through the Freedom Path. Participating food trucks include Crazy Asian Eats, Venenzi Wood Fire Pizza, The Caribbean Hut, Big Nate’s BBQ, TasTea Bowls & Treats, Cold Blooded Coffee, Kettle Corn by Bob McSpadden, HoneyBeez Snowballz, Drizzle Mini Donuts, and American Ice Cream Truck. Each vendor has made a donation to Honor Flight.
Entertainment: Enjoy live performances from Dave Simmons and Freedom Sings Songwriters throughout the evening. The formal Welcome Home Ceremony begins at 9:45 p.m., hosted by Emcee Steve Falat of River Radio, with the National Anthem performed by Olivia Gordon.
Kids’ Zone: Families are welcome! Activities include inflatables, face painting, and sign- making for the kids. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and patriotic banners.
PARKING & TRANSPORTATION
On-site parking at the Airport is limited. The public is encouraged to use the free park-and-ride service from Sam’s Club and Cornerstone Church in Marion. Buses — provided by T-Street Rides, Shawnee Mass Transit, Jackson County Mass Transit, and Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois — depart approximately every 20 minutes beginning at 5:00 p.m. at no cost.
More than 350 volunteers wearing bright orange lanyards will be stationed throughout the Airport grounds and terminal lobby to assist attendees with any questions.
“We hope everyone will come out to the Airport and help us welcome home our veterans. We want the veterans to witness a sea of red, white, and blue when they depart the plane.”
— Amanda Throgmorton, Welcome Home Organizer
Veterans who have attended previous Honor Flights are also encouraged to attend wearing their red shirts and will receive VIP access at the Welcome Home Celebration.
ABOUT VETERANS HONOR FLIGHT OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit hub of the national Honor Flight Network. The organization covers all expenses for each one-day trip to Washington, D.C. — including airfare, ground transportation, meals, and beverages — at absolutely no cost to veterans. The organization is run entirely by volunteers, with 98.5 cents of every dollar donated going directly to support veterans.
To learn more, apply to become a Guardian or Volunteer, or apply as an Honor Flight veteran, visit www.veteranshonorflight.org.
