Group of veterans and guardians in front of the Roosevelt Memorial

Mission Statement

We fly our heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect together at their memorials.

Changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, DC with veterans in background

Honor Flight Rochester, Inc. and affiliated hubs in the national Honor Flight Network are private, not-for-profit organizations created solely to honor America’s Veterans for their many sacrifices. Honor Flight Rochester serves veterans in Monroe and eight surrounding counties. Our three objectives are:

  1. Take every local veteran to see the Memorials, built and dedicated to their service in Washington, D.C.
  2. Give veterans the opportunity to reflect on their experience and thank other brothers and sisters at the memorials.
  3. Provide veterans with a proper Thank You and Welcome Home, one some veterans never received when they returned home.

Honor Flight Rochester, Inc. is a New York State Not-For-Profit Corporation and an IRS 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization. All donations to Honor Flight Rochester are tax-deductible to the extent determined by law.

How The Honor Flight Network Began

The Honor Flight Network was created in 2005 by Jeff Miller and Earl Morse with a simple, yet powerful, mission – honoring our nation’s veterans by bringing them to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials built to commemorate their service and sacrifice. 

While initially focused on America’s World War II veterans, Honor Flight Network has expanded its mission to include those who served during the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and veterans of any service era who are critically ill.

How Honor Flight Rochester Began

Rochester became an official hub in the Honor Flight Network in June of 2008, and we flew our first mission that Fall. Our founding board members and a core group of volunteers had the vision and skills to build a strong organization that would provide trips of a lifetime to thousands, rather than handfuls, of veterans residing in the greater Rochester community.

Since then, we’ve flown more than 80 missions and more than 4,000 veterans! Presently, we’re the only hub east of the Mississippi that plans an overnight stay in the D.C. area. We fly approximately 60 veterans each mission, plus their guardians (usually a friend or family member who accompanies each veteran; spouses may not be guardians). 

Honor Flight Rochester schedules six flights during a given year typically during April, May and June, and September and October. Priority is given to veterans from the oldest era first.  Those with catastrophic health issues, regardless of when they served, can be given preference; however, they must be deemed safe to travel by our Veterans Safety Team. 

Our honored heroes travel absolutely free, thanks to generous donations from people like you, community organizations, VFW/Legion posts, corporations, testamentary bequests, and many others. Help spread the word to veterans so they can fly to Washington DC and receive “A Trip of a Lifetime” with the Thank You that many never received.