Veterans Honor Flight Mission 15 takes Southern Illinois Veterans to Washington, D.C.

KBSI FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

MARION, Ill., (KBSI) — Nearly 200 veterans, guardians and volunteers from southern Illinois are in Washington, D.C., Tuesday as part of Veterans Honor Flight Mission 15, visiting the nation’s war memorials built in their honor.

Since 2017, Veterans Honor Flight of Southern Illinois has flown more than 1,200 veterans on what organizers describe as a once-in-a-lifetime journey of gratitude and reflection.

The veterans will return home Tuesday evening to a community celebration at Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois. Festivities begin at 5 p.m., with the welcome-home ceremony scheduled for 8:45 p.m. The event will feature food vendors, live music and a sea of red, white and blue as residents greet the veterans with flags and banners.

“Today we are reminded of the courage, sacrifice and unwavering devotion of our nation’s veterans,” Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich said. “Veterans Honor Flight Mission 15 is not just a journey, but a reflection of the gratitude we all feel for the men and women who put on the uniform and stood in defense of our freedom.”