First Illinois All-Female Honor Flight Takes Off Today

By Benjamin Cox on October 7, 2021 at 8:33am

The very first all-women’s honor flight for Illinois departs from Chicago this morning.

93 women ranging in age from 63 to 104 years old include veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam took off from Midway Airport in Chicago bound for Washington D.C. today.

The trip was arranged by Operation HerStory, an organization that helps arrange honor flights for women veterans for an all-expenses-paid, daylong trip to visit several war memorials and places of interest, including the Women’s Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery and the Vietnam Women’s Memorial on the National Mall.

According to state data, about 7,200 female veterans live in Illinois and served in the military between 1940 and 1975. Gwen M. Diehl, of Taylorville who is also the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs Veteran Home Coordinator will be joining the flight as a Veteran of Desert Shield/Desert Storm and Bronze Star recipient.

For more information or to nominate a female veteran for a future honor flight through Operation HerStory, visit operationherstory.org.