Freedom Honor Flight announces fall 2025 flight date
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:
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Karl Fischer is a local veteran who served as a sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in 1973
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John Armbruster is the author of “Tailspin,” a story of a Flying Fortress tail gunner during World War II who fell four miles without a parachute and lived
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!
12th Annual Freedom Honor Flight Veterans Day breakfast
Organizers are preparing for Freedom Honor Flight’s 31st trip to 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 2,700 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, the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and other sites via luxury motorcoaches.
Eager to fly on Saturday, September 21 are one World War Two veteran, 7 Korean Era veterans and 92 veterans from the Vietnam Era. They fly for free, joined by volunteer guardians who pay their own way to assist the veterans on this “trip of a lifetime.”
Accompanying the veterans are one physician and four paramedics from Mayo Clinic Health System and Gundersen Health System, all out of the La Crosse area. Both health systems have been longtime supporters of Freedom Honor Flight, providing the paid services of the medical professionals at no charge to the organization, plus paying for their flights. Many honor flight veterans are elderly and depend on this medical care to have a safe and comfortable experience.
The public is welcome at the morning sendoff and the evening welcome-home ceremonies. Ample parking is available. Volunteers from Optum in La Crosse will provide a golf cart shuttle service for this flight in the morning, while Knights of Columbus volunteers from St. Patrick’s in Onalaska will provide the shuttle service in the evening. All ground activities are held at Colgan Air, Hangar 4, La Crosse Airport.
In the morning, 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 UW-La Crosse 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 31 takes off Saturday, September 21, 2024 carrying WWII, Korean and Vietnam War veterans
Organizers are preparing for Freedom Honor Flight’s 30th trip to 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 2,600 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, the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and other sites via luxury motorcoaches.
Eager to fly on Saturday, May 4 are one World War Two veteran, 7 Korean Era veterans and 92 veterans from the Vietnam Era. They fly for free, accompanied by volunteer guardians who pay their own way to assist the veterans on this “trip of a lifetime.”
Accompanying the veterans are two physicians and four paramedics from Mayo Clinic Health System and Gundersen Health System, all out of the La Crosse area. Both health systems have been longtime supporters of Freedom Honor Flight, providing the paid services of the medical professionals at no charge to the organization, plus paying for their flights. Many honor flight veterans are elderly and depend on this medical care to have a safe and comfortable experience.
The public is welcome at the morning sendoff and the evening welcome-home ceremonies. Ample parking is available. Knights of Columbus volunteers from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Holmen and St. Patrick’s in Onalaska will provide a golf cart shuttle service for this flight. All ground activities are held at Colgan Air, Hangar 4, La Crosse Airport.
In the morning, 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 Onalaska Luther High School marching band. Hangar doors open at 7:30 p.m. The flight is expected to return between 9 and 10 p.m.
