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 experience the flight.
Deeply moved by the Honor Flight experience, Nelson felt compelled to give back. Determined to ensure other veterans had the same opportunity, he reached out to Randy Rubenacker of Rocking for A Cause and Bill Bonan, Chairman of the Board of Peoples National Bank, both of whom immediately stepped up to help fully fund an upcoming flight.
Gary Nelson, Vietnam Veteran; Bill Bonan, Chairman of the Board, Peoples National Bank; and Randy Rubenacker, Rocking With A Cause
Rocking for a Cause, Inc. fosters growth and development in agriculture, education, healthcare, and children’s welfare through the power of music. Now, its reach has extended to supporting Veterans Honor Flight.
Bill Bonan, a Vietnam veteran himself, recognized the significance of this mission and was eager to contribute.
Gary Nelson, Randy Rubenacker, and Bill Bonan present Veterans Honor Flight with a check for $112,000 to fully fund Mission 14.
Today, Nelson, Rubenacker, and Bonan joined members of the Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois board and volunteers to present a check for $112,000 to the organization which fully funds Mission 14, scheduled for May 6, 2025.
“It was the highlight of my life,” Nelson said of his Honor Flight experience.
Gary Nelson holds an Honor Flag at the National WWII Memorial on Mission 12.
Bryan Questelle, chairman of the board for Veterans Honor Flight, said this donation was truly unique. “To have an Honor Flight Veteran come up and want to fund a flight for others is something I never expected. We are all honored that Mr. Nelson felt so highly of the experience that he wanted to do this.” Questelle said this is the fourth flight in the hub’s history which has been fully funded. “Honored, that’s all I can say,” Questelle said of those who have donated to the organization.
Mission 14 is expected to carry 88 Veterans to Washington DC on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. The flight departs from Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois in Marion at 6:30am and is expected to return at 8:50pm. The public is invited to attend the Welcome Home Celebration to honor those veterans returning on the flight. More information will be posted to social media at www.veteranshonorflight.org closer to the flight date.
Veterans who wish to participate in Honor Flight can apply online at www.veteranshonorflight.org or call 618-942-3930 to request a paper application. All veterans are eligible to fly regardless of age or dates of service.
If you would like to support Veterans Honor Flight, donations can be made at www.veteranshonorflight.org or any Peoples National Bank or Banterra Bank facility in Southern Illinois. All donations are tax deductible. Additionally, donations may be made in association with sponsorships, such as a wheelchair banner sponsorship ($100) which places a banner on one of the wheelchairs taken to Washington D.C. in honor or memory of a veteran or with a personal message. For additional sponsorship information, visit www.veteranshonorflight.org.
Follow Veterans Honor Flight on Facebook (www.facebook.com/veteranshonorflight) or Instagram (www.instagram.com/vethonorflight) for the latest information.
Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois is a hub of the Honor Flight Network and is dedicated to the service of the veterans in Southern Illinois. Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with all available donations going directly to flight costs. As of 2019, 97.5% of all donated money was used for flight costs.
