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 organization. Current flight costs are in excess of $115,000. Each Veteran is assigned a Guardian to ensure safety and provide a better experience on the busy day.
Veterans wishing to participate in Honor Flight can apply online at www.veteranshonorflight.org. Veterans are selected by age, with the oldest Veterans being selected first. As of Mission 13, Veterans born in 1948 and earlier were being selected from the waiting list. Questelle said the current waiting list is over 500 Veterans.
“We want every Veteran in Southern Illinois to go, and we’re committed to seeing that happens,” he said.
