Mission Details

• DEPARTURE: Southwest Airlines #3596 departs at 5:50am on Saturday, October 3, 2026 from Rochester International Airport
• WELCOME HOME: Sunday, October 4, 2026
• AIRPORT CELEBRATION: Between 12:00 to 3:00 PM, after the veterans have disembarked from the plane.
• FLIGHT INFO: Arrival, 11:40 AM Sunday, October 4 on Southwest Flight #1142 at International Rochester Airport

Welcome Home Lineup

• EMCEE Krisiti Blake, News 10 NBC anchor
• KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Colonel Timothy Vaughn, U.S. Air Force, retired
• ANTHEM SINGER: Abbie Riggins, soloist
• BAND: CA Palmer Fife and Drum Corps
• COLOR GUARD: U.S. Submarine Veterans of Buffalo

September 27, 2026                                                         

Media Contact: [email protected]  

Honor Flight Rochester (HFR) is pleased to announce that Mission 98 will occur this coming weekend, October 2nd-4^th, with some exciting news. This is our second of three Missions this fall.

Our motto is, “We leave no veteran behind.” But what about a veteran unable to fly? What about a veteran with medical or other issues who is not capable of flying? Do we leave them behind? Honor Flight Rochester is pleased to announce that through a grant from the NYS Dwyer Program, in cooperation with Livingston County, and the Livingston County Veteran’s Office will take 21 Livingston County veterans and their guardians by bus. It will leave the Frederick Douglass Airport on Friday, October 2 ^nd and will return in time on October 4^th for the Welcome Ceremony. This mission will also include the usual Saturday morning flight for 59 additional veterans and guardians.

This mission will also be the 5000 mark for veterans flown by Honor Flight Rochester on their “trip of lifetime.” Since 2008, including Mission 98, Honor Flight Rochester will have flown 5,077 Veterans.

This mission will include 18 Air Force veterans, 35 Army veterans, 5 Coast Guard veterans, 7 Marines Corps veterans, and 15 Navy veterans. There are 2 Korea Veterans, 3 Cold War veterans, 7 Cold War/Vietnam veterans, 52 Vietnam veterans, and 16 post 1975 era veterans.