All-Women Veterans’ Flight returning to Hannibal
Published 4:38 pm Saturday, June 13, 2026
HANNIBAL — The Great River Honor Flight Board of Directors has announced its 82nd mission, which will mark the organization’s second all-women veterans’ flight, scheduled for June 17 and 18.
The upcoming trip follows the inaugural all-women flight held in June 2025. A total of 45 women veterans will participate in the two-day itinerary, bringing the total number of veterans served by the organization to 2,629 since its inception.
The group of veterans includes nine who served during the Vietnam era, 18 during the Gulf War, five who served during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and 13 who served between or after those conflicts. The participants represent the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Army National Guard.
“We are so pleased to be able to honor our women veterans with this mission,” Sharon Lake, co-chair of Great River Honor Flight, said in a statement. “Their service and sacrifice played an important role in our military’s preparedness.”
The veterans scheduled for the flight reside across three states, including multiple counties in Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa, alongside several out-of-state veterans from Arkansas, Arizona, and Colorado who served with local residents. Their military roles spanned numerous specialties, including communications, intelligence, field artillery, mechanical repair, and medical services.
The mission will begin June 17 in Hannibal, Missouri, with a day of local touring, shopping, and a cruise on the Mark Twain Riverboat.
On June 18, the veterans will depart from the Hannibal-LaGrange University cafeteria at 1 a.m. for a 5:50 a.m. flight out of St. Louis. The Washington, D.C., itinerary features a special stop at the Military Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as visits to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Iwo Jima Memorial, and the Air Force Memorial. The veterans will also observe the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Five female board members from Great River Honor Flight will accompany the veterans on the trip. The group is scheduled to return to Hannibal-LaGrange University at approximately 10:15 p.m. for a homecoming celebration.
Chartered on Veterans Day in 2009, Great River Honor Flight is a Missouri nonprofit organization that provides fully funded trips for local veterans to visit the nation’s capital.
