“I needed the Honor Flight. I needed that void filled. I was finally and properly welcomed home from war.”
That was the message we received soon after HFC106 last week from Vietnam Veteran Bill Starr. He was one of 113 Veterans aboard our season finale, and one of 790 total veterans we honored over seven flights this season. Each and every one of those heroes needed their Honor Flight Chicago experience, and we are so deeply proud of our entire organization from top to bottom for providing it.
Last week one WWII, 8 Korean War and 104 Vietnam War veterans flew to Washington, D.C., on an unseasonably chilly day to close out our 2022 campaign. With their Welcome Home at Midway, we flew 12 WWII, 64 Korean War and 714 Vietnam War veterans all told this year. That’s nearly 800 lives directly impacted by the sincere and heartfelt love and gratitude you – our volunteers – bestowed upon our heroes. It’s also the most veterans we have honored in one year in a decade!
The 2022 season was one for the books! It was our first full season since before the COVID-19 pandemic began, featuring the return of the Pipe and Drum parade and the Frankfort Brass Band at Midway. We kicked it off with our historic 100th flight in April. June marked our biggest flight ever with 119 veterans on board. In July we celebrated Operation Education with a themed flight promoting our mission’s expansion in local schools. September saw the bittersweet milestone of our first flight without a WWII veteran.
Through it all our dedicated orange shirts turned out in droves month after month. We are proud to have welcomed literally hundreds of new volunteers into the family, and also thankful for those long time volunteers who returned for one final season this year after over a decade of service to our mission. You will be missed!
We now turn our focus toward the 2023 season. Stay tuned for information on the next edition of Law Enforcement Hockey Classic in March. The flight season will look quite similar to this year’s; we even start with another huge milestone on our very first flight: our 10,000th veteran to experience the life-changing honor, thanks and inspiration of an Honor Flight Chicago trip to Washington, D.C.! We’ll see you then!
Edna Ho and Doug Meffley
Directors, Honor Flight Chicago
“Thank you for all your help making my day full of wonderful, exciting, emotional, and long lasting memories. I cried at the Vietnam Memorial what an experience. During my trip I was over whelmed with all the so very nice attention, kind words, the much sincere welcome home spoken from so many loving caring volunteers and many other people at the airports and memorials. We were treated with such kindness and love. What a day for all the vets. All vets had a chance to share stories, a chance for healing, have some laughs. The Honor Flight staff was fantastic and we all received the very best treatment.”
— Vietnam Veteran George Miller
“In August of 1970 I returned to “the world” after 366 days in Vietnam. My base was rocketed on my last night in the country. It seemed the Vietcong knew I was leaving and were trying one last time to kill me. Still in uniform, 1st Lieutenant Bill Starr walked boldly through the concourses of O’Hare field expecting abuse of some sort. No one called me a baby killer or spit at me. I just caught a cab and went home. There I took off my uniform, hung it neatly in the closet; put on my jeans and began the rest of my life. I needed the Honor Flight! I needed that void filled. Hundreds of “Welcome Home’ greetings and “Thanks for your Service” were all heard by me and greatly appreciated. I believe them all to be sincere. I could see it in their eyes. I was finally and properly welcomed home from war.”
— Vietnam Veteran Bill Starr
“It was super. Very, very nice. Little kids were thanking me in DC and at Midway. I felt like a rockstar–although I’m nothing of the sort. Everyone did such a great job. Thank you!”
— Vietnam Veteran Lawrence Foley
“I had a wonderful time. It was an absolute-knock-out-wonderful day. A life-changing experience. A once in a lifetime opportunity. We will tell every Veteran we see that they MUST go. I felt like I was going to the Academy Awards. Like a walking, talking Elvis Presley. For once I’m a man of few words. Thanks to all of the wonderful people (who made this happen).”
— Vietnam Veteran Martin Foley
” I was overwhelmed with the reception. It was just amazing. I couldn’t have pictured anything like that happening. Coming back to Midway with thousands of people there. I never shook so many hands, and people said thank you so many times. The volunteers were just amazing. It was all worth it, going to ‘Nam, to have that reception and Welcome last night.”
— Vietnam Veteran Richard Charet
“Well, the trip to D.C. was so great, I don’t really know all of those I should thank! It was all the dreams of a 19-year-old young man in Vietnam realized and MORE!! Thank you and the wonderful volunteers that made it possible. This is like the third day of my heart being filled with emotions to overflowing. I’ve really never talked much about my year in Nam, but I think letting some of the tears out after so many years has brought unknown joy and pride. Thank you!”
— Vietnam Veteran Brad White
