09/14/2026
URGENT: MISSION 17 TRAVEL UPDATE
We want to provide our families and Southern Illinois community with an update regarding Mission 17.
Our return flight from Washington, D.C. has been delayed until tomorrow after the Sun Country Airlines pilot scheduled to fly our group home experienced an unexpected family emergency.
Sun Country Airlines is headquartered in Minneapolis, and despite efforts to secure another pilot, the earliest replacement crew available will not be able to get our group home tonight.
Our leadership team has explored the available alternatives, including whether another aircraft or charter option could be secured, but unfortunately there is not another viable option available tonight.
As a result, our entire Mission 17 group — 186 veterans, guardians and team members — will remain in the Washington, D.C. area overnight. We are currently working through hotel accommodations, transportation and the many logistics involved in caring for a group of this size.
Most importantly, everyone is safe.
This is an unprecedented situation for Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois. We prepare for as many contingencies as possible, but this is one of those circumstances completely outside of our control.
Our veterans and guardians have been updated on the situation and have been asked to contact their families directly.
We also ask for a little patience from our community tonight. Please avoid flooding our page, inbox and other channels with messages asking for individual updates right now. Our team is actively working through the logistics of accommodations, transportation and tomorrow’s return plan, and our immediate priority has to be taking care of the veterans and guardians traveling with us.
We will respond to messages and comments as we are able, and we will continue posting confirmed updates for everyone as soon as new information becomes available.
We know this is incredibly disappointing for the families, friends and community members who were preparing to welcome our veterans home tonight. We are disappointed too.
Tonight’s Welcome Home Celebration will not take place as originally planned.
Once tomorrow’s return flight information is confirmed, we will immediately share an updated arrival time and information regarding welcoming our veterans home.
Please rely on updates from the official Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois page rather than speculation or information shared elsewhere.
Thank you for your patience, your understanding and, most importantly, for continuing to support the veterans traveling with us on Mission 17.
We may have an unexpected extra chapter in this mission, but we are going to take care of our veterans and bring every one of them home.
