Pat Stephens Memorial Flight to take off April 25 from La Crosse

Freedom Honor Flight will make two trips to Washington, D.C. in 2026, flying veterans to see the memorials built in their honor. The spring flight is set to take off Saturday, April 25 while the date for the fall trip is still being finalized.

The spring mission will be known as the “Pat Stephens Memorial Flight,” honoring the hub’s former president and longtime board member. Stephens was a community fixture who passed away unexpectedly in early February as planning for this year’s flights was already well underway. “We remember Pat for his relentless commitment to our veterans and the incredible legacy that has touched so many in our community,” said current Freedom Honor Flight Board President Dave Larsen. “His passion and dedication truly shaped what this organization has become.”

Since the Freedom Honor Flight hub was founded in 2008, it has flown more than 3,000 veterans to our nation’s capital. The organization is currently flying veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, with the majority representing the Vietnam era. The single-day itinerary includes a welcome in Washington, D.C., and visits typically include the WWII Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and other sites via luxury motorcoaches.

With more than 350 veterans currently on a waitlist to fly from La Crosse, the organization faces rising costs, with each flight requiring around $160,000 to operate. “The community support has been nothing short of amazing, but we’re at a point where future flights aren’t guaranteed,” said Larsen. “We will need all the help we can get so we can finish our mission of ensuring every veteran has the chance to take this trip. We encourage everyone to check out our website to find out how they can support our local heroes.”

Pat Stephens Memorial Flight to take off April 25 from La Crosse

2025 – Organizers are preparing for the 33rd Freedom Honor Flight on Saturday, which will honor veterans by flying them to Washington, D.C. to see the memorials built in their honor. Since the organization was founded in 2008, Freedom Honor Flight has flown more than 3,000 veterans to our nation’s capital. The single-day itinerary includes a welcome in Washington, D.C., and visits typically include the WWII Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and other sites via luxury motorcoaches.

Eager flyers include one Korean War era veteran and 100 veterans from the Vietnam War era. They fly for free, joined by volunteer guardians who pay their own way to assist the veterans on this “trip of a lifetime.”

The public is welcome at the morning sendoff and evening welcome-home ceremonies. All ground activities are held at Colgan Air, Hangar 4, La Crosse Airport. Ample parking and a shuttle service are available.

For the morning sendoff, hangar doors open at 5:30 a.m. A brief ceremony at approximately 6:15 a.m. precedes the American Airlines charter flight, set to depart at 6:50 a.m. The popular welcome-home ceremony features the UWL Screaming Eagles Marching Band. Hangar doors open at 7:30 p.m. The flight is expected to return between 9 and 10 p.m.

Freedom Honor Flight relies solely on the public’s generosity and urgently needs help to continue operating these flights. “We are incredibly grateful for the support which has kept us going for the past 17 years. But the reality is, we won’t be able to finish our mission of flying all veterans on our waitlist without more funds. We encourage the public to visit our website, freedomhonorflight.org, to make a donation today,” said Freedom Honor Flight Board President Pat Stephens.

Freedom Honor Flight 33 takes off Saturday, September 13, carrying Korean and Vietnam War veterans

Freedom Honor Flight will make its 33rd trip to Washington D.C. on Saturday, September 13, 2025, flying veterans to see the memorials built in their honor.

Since the organization was founded in 2008, Freedom Honor Flight has flown more than 3,000 veterans to our nation’s capital. The organization is currently flying veterans of WWII, Korea and Vietnam with the majority of those veterans coming from the Vietnam era. The single-day itinerary includes a welcome in Washington, D.C., and visits typically include the WWII Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and other sites via luxury motorcoaches.

More than 500 veterans are on a waitlist to fly from La Crosse. Freedom Honor Flight receives no government funding and relies on individual donors and organizations to continue its mission. Each flight costs around $140,000. “While we have extremely generous donors, with rising costs and inflation, we’ll need increased support from the community in order to continue operating these flights,” said Freedom Honor Flight Board President Pat Stephens.

You can donate here.

 

 

Freedom Honor Flight announces fall 2025 flight date

Please be aware of important changes to Federal ID requirements, beginning with Freedom Honor Flight’s trip to Washington, D.C., in the fall of 2025. The Department of Homeland Security will require all travelers 18 and older to have a REAL ID, passport or an acceptable alternative for domestic air travel.

This does not affect our May 3 flight as the new REAL ID requirements go into effect on May 7, 2025. For more information, visit The Department of Homeland Security website.

Important information about your ID when you fly

Veterans will be honored for their service at the 12th Annual Veterans Day breakfast in La Crosse. Veterans and a guest are invited to attend the breakfast on Monday, Nov. 11, hosted by Freedom Honor Flight and the UW-La Crosse Athletics Department. Student-athletes will serve breakfast from 7 to 10:30 a.m. at the UWL Fieldhouse in Mitchell Hall.

The morning will include entertainment from the UW-La Crosse Hoefer Brass Quintet and a program beginning at 8:45 a.m. with two speakers:

Free parking is available on the day of the event in Lot C2, directly across from Mitchell Hall, next to the stadium. No RSVP is required. All veterans and a guest are welcome!

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