Great River Honor Flight’s 75th mission set to take off Thursday

April 15, 2025 | By Muddy River News

QUINCY — Great River Honor Flight’s first of five planned flights for 2025, and its 75th flight since the program’s inception in 2010, will take place on Thursday, April 17, leaving from John Wood Community College.

Thirty-three veterans will take part on this trip. Of them, 26 served during the Vietnam era, and the remaining seven served before or after Vietnam. They represent Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Army National Guard and Reserves.

The 33 veterans on this flight come from Illinois (Adams, McDonough, Hancock and Schuyler counties), Missouri (Marion, Pike, Ralls, Schuyler, Lewis, St. Charles and Audrain counties) and Iowa (Lee and Des Moines counties), plus one veteran from Johnson County in Kansas and one from Duval County in Florida.

The veterans served in a number of roles: combat engineer, platoon sergeant, welder, machine gunner, cook, postal clerk, long-distance communications, aviation structural mechanic, preventive medicine, instructor of electronics, military police and fuel specialist.

In all, 2,381 local veterans who served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam and between those conflicts have previously participated in this program.

The April 17 mission will follow the itinerary used during the past 16 years. The trip begins with a 2:15 a.m. departure for a bus ride to Lambert Field in St. Louis, where they will board their flight to Baltimore and then on to Washington, D.C.

The veterans will visit the Vietnam Wall, Korea Memorial, WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial, Air Force Memorial, Navy Memorial and see the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, then head to the Navy Memorial for a tour and dinner.

The veterans will then head to Reagan International Airport for their return flight back to St. Louis. A charter bus will bring them back to the JWCC basketball arena at approximately 10:30 p.m. for a homecoming.

Great River Honor Flight, a Missouri nonprofit corporation established in October of 2009 was created solely to honor America’s veterans who live in our area for all they have sacrificed by providing, free of charge, transportation to Washington D.C.

Viet	Benn	Harry	Frankford	Pike	MO	A
AFV	Benz	Roger	Wever	Lee	IA	NG
Viet	Benz	Terry	Denmark	Lee	IA	A/NG
Viet	Berenger	Duane	Burlington	Des Moines	IA	NG
Viet	Bonser	Dwayne	Keokuk	Lee	IA	N
AFV	Brothers	Bob	Perry	Ralls	MO	N
Viet	Clark	Tony	Keokuk	Lee	IA	R/A
Viet	Curtis	Ronnie	Macomb	McDonough	IL	NG
Viet	Davis	Jim	Macomb	McDonough	IL	A
Viet	Drake	Mike	Macomb	McDonough	IL	A
Viet	Fraise	Terry	Ft, Madison	Lee	IA	A
Viet	Frank	Bob	Burlington	Des Moines	IA	M
Viet	Gray	Rudy	Industry	McDonough	IL	A
Viet	Hawkinson	James	Burlington	Des Moines	IA	N
Viet	Higgins	Rodney	Plymouth	Hancock	IL	AF
Viet	Hoschek	Steve	Burlington	Des Moines	IA	A
AFV	Iborg	David	O’Fallon	St. Charles	MO	A
Viet	Krogmeier	Gary	New London	Henry	IA	M
Viet	Kuenz	Dick	Perry	Ralls	MO	A
Viet	Lindsey	Gene	Canton	Lewis	MO	M
AFV	McCombs	O.K.	Colchester	McDonough	IL	M
Viet	O’Daniels Jr	Deryl	Burlington	Des Moines	IA	A
Viet	Palmer	Rick	Rushville	Schuyler	IL	N
Viet	Smith	Pete	Good Hope	McDonough	IL	AF/N
Viet	Stauffer	Jim	Olathe	Johnson	KS	Ares
Viet	Stevens	John	Jacksonville	Duval	FL	N
Viet	Stout	Larry	Burlington	Des Moines	IA	A
Viet	Street	Gordon	Quincy	Adams	IL	N
AFV	Tillman	Dan	Keokuk	Lee	IA	A
AFV	Tillman	Bob	Macomb	McDonough	IL	AR
Viet	Warren	Ray	Vandalia	Audrain	MO	M
AFV	Wells	Francis	Hannibal	Marion MO	MO	A
Viet	Workman	Dan	Macomb	McDonough	IL	A