About SEMN Honor Flight

The national Honor Flight program was conceived by Earl Morse, a physician assistant and Retired Air Force Captain who cared for many veterans during his 27 year career. After the completion of the World War II memorial in May of 2004, Morse realized that many of the men and women the memorial was built to honor would never have the opportunity to see it because it was not financially feasible for them to travel to Washington, DC. Realizing many veterans had given up hope of ever visiting the memorial that was specifically created to honor their services and their fellow comrades who paid the ultimate sacrifice, Morse recruited some of his friends who were pilots and began flying a few veterans at a time to Washington, DC. Within a few years, the Honor Flight program had expanded to over 80 cities in the United States.

In the fall of 2007, the Southeastern Minnesota Honor Flight was formed under the guidance of the Soldiers Field Veterans Memorial Board of Directors. On April 19, 2008, the first SE MN Honor Flight brought 80 World War II veterans to see their memorial. Many of the veterans described the trip as a “once in a lifetime experience” and indicated it was the first time they were thanked for their military service.

Honor Flight consists of a one day trip from Rochester to Washington, DC. Upon arrival in Washington, the group takes coach buses to the World War II memorial. The veterans then have a couple of hours to see their memorial and, perhaps more importantly, visit with and be thanked by other memorial visitors, including school children, families, veterans of other wars, and active duty military members. The day also includes a bus tour of Washington to see the Capitol, White House, Arlington National Cemetery, and the Iwo Jima monument. The veterans are then brought back to the National Mall area to see the Vietnam, Lincoln, and Korean Memorials. The return flight arrives in Rochester, MN, around 9:30 pm that evening.

To date, SE MN Honor Flight has taken six flights allowing nearly 578 veterans to visit the World War II memorial. Unfortunately, time is not on our side. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs and Arlington National Cemetery statistics, approximately 1500 to 2000 WWII veterans pass away each day. The youngest WWII veteran is approximately 83 years old and many have spent their life savings on health care. Given another five to ten years, most WWII veterans will be gone. Please join us in showing these humble men and women that we are a grateful nation.