Two years after celebrating our 100th flight, and one year after bringing our 10,000th veteran to Washington, D.C., our July 24, 2024 mission saw yet another historic milestone: The 11,000th hero to travel to our nation’s capital with Honor Flight Chicago.
Colonel (Retired) Dennis Shea embodies citizenship. Dennis’s military story begins as a freshman at Depaul University. Freshmen were required to participate in ROTC.
Growing up as the youngest in his family, Donald “Don” Ramsbottom learned how to leverage speed and agility to excel. These traits proved invaluable during his service in the Vietnam War.
A U.S. Army helicopter dangled precariously over the battlefield. Wounded soldiers needed help. Right Now. Speed was critical. But every time the pilot tried to touch down fierce enemy gunfire erupted.
Arthur “Arty”, Charles “Charlie”, and Thomas “Tom” Miller grew up in a family of eleven on the Southside of Chicago. They had two younger brothers and six sisters.
Norbert and David grew up in the quaint town of Whiting, Indiana. They come from a family of seven, with their mother also being from Whiting. Both Norb and David served in Vietnam.
John Wander was born in 1941 and raised in Downers Grove. His parents were both the children of immigrants, and they both faced significant challenges when they were growing up.
William “Bill” Koc was born in the city of Stickney, IL in October 1946. Bill was one of twelve children (being #3 himself). He remembers always being surrounded by family.
Tom Kelly grew up in Oak Lawn, then moved to Chicago where his father was a Chicago police officer. Tom was the middle child of 3. There were family members who also served in the military.
Donald W. McCollough, born near the small town of Jewett, Illinois, was the middle child of a family of eight. His parents, Harold and Ethel, worked on a farm that grew sugar cane.