Great River Honor Flight mission on Thursday gets special invitation to tour White House

QUINCY — The Great River Honor Flight Board of Directors was notified Monday that the 28 veterans and 28 guardians visiting Washington, D.C. on Thursday, May 11 have received an invitation to tour the White House as part of the Vietnam War Commemoration, recognizing the 50th anniversary with a celebration in the nation’s capital.

Of the 28 veterans on Thursday’s mission, 24 served during the Vietnam era. 

This will be a first-of-its-kind adaptation to the typical itinerary that local veterans have enjoyed during the past 14 years during their Honor Flight experience. Last-minute details are being worked out to fit this special tour into an already packed itinerary of the major memorials dedicated to veterans in Washington.

This will be the 64^th mission for local veterans since the program started in 2010. Since then, 2,037 local veterans who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and between those conflicts have participated in this program.  The 28 veterans on Thursday’s mission come from Illinois (Adams, Brown, Pike, McDonough and St. Clair counties), Missouri (Marion and Lewis counties) and Iowa (Lee County).  

The departure and return on Thursday will be from John Wood Community College in Quincy. The veterans will make stops at the Vietnam Wall Memorial and the nearby Korea and Lincoln Memorials.  A special commemoration for Vietnam veterans is opening that day next to the Reflecting Pool named Camp Legacy that will feature various military exhibits from that era.

The group also will make stops at the World War II Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and the Air Force Memorial.