Great River Honor Flight announces 76th mission and first all-women veterans flight June 18-19

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Great River Honor Flight board of directors recently announced that the 76th mission will be its first all-women veterans honor flight on June 18–19, leaving from Hannibal.

Thirty-seven veterans will participate. Five served during the Vietnam era, 18 during the Gulf War and the remaining 14 served between those conflicts. They represent Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Army National Guard.

The idea for this special mission came from multiple conversations between Maria Poindexter, commander of the American Legion Post 55 in Hannibal, and members of the Great River Honor Flight Board.

In a press release, Carlos Fernandez, chair of the board, said, “Over the past 16 years, we have been honored to offer 2,414 veterans the honor flight experience, but the majority of them have been males,”

The first day will include a pre-flight briefing along with tours of Hannibal destinations such as the Mark Twain Home and Museum and other popular sites. This first day will conclude with a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi River and dinner at the American Legion Hall. The second day will start at 1 a.m. on the campus of Hannibal-LaGrange University before departing for Washington, D.C. The expected arrival time back at the HLGU basketball arena will be at approximately 10 p.m.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to honor these women who stepped up and honorably served their country,” Sharon Lake, vice-chair of the Great River Honor Flight board and flight captain for this mission, said.

The 37 veterans on this flight come from Missouri (Marion, Pike, Ralls, St. Charles, Clark, Macon, Randolph, Polk, Adair, Lincoln, Jackson, Cedar and Boone counties), Illinois (Adams, McDonough, Pike and DeKalb counties), as well as North Carolina, Texas and California.

The veterans served in a number of roles — communications, security, food service, radar operator, nursing, cryptology technician, field artillery, satellite repair, radio operator and military intelligence.

The June 19 trip’s itinerary will follow the itinerary that has been successful for 16 years, but it also will feature a tour and special recognition program at the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. They will visit the Vietnam Wall, Korea Memorial, WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial and Air Force Memorial, observe the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery and then enjoy dinner at the Women’s Memorial.

Great River Honor Flight was chartered on Veterans Day 2009, with its first flight scheduled on April 13, 2010. It honors local veterans who served this country with a free trip to Washington, D.C.