Honor Flight Rochester (HFR) is very pleased to announce the resumption of flying operations with Mission 70 that will commence this coming weekend.  Please click on the link below to read the press release.

Mission 70 Press Release

Please click the link below to view our March newsletter:

March 2022 Newsletter

Please click here for the full text of the announcement.

Continuing with our abundance of caution Honor Flight Rochester is postponing missions to Washington, D.C. for September and October 2020.

While Honor Flight Rochester is Mission Ready, the safety of our veterans and volunteers is paramount and overrides all prior travel plans. After the COVID-19 pandemic fully subsides we will resume flying.

In anticipation of an uncertain start-up date, in the interim HFR will work on refreshing our processes and programs to align with the post pandemic era new requirements. Also you may find interesting our recently initiated Facebook photo series, “Why we do what we do!”

Honor Flight Rochester is in this for the long haul and holds in the highest regard the trust and goodwill of our veterans, volunteers and the greater Rochester community. We are eager to fly again but only when it is safe to do so. Veteran applications never expire and their places in line will be maintained.

Honor Flight Rochester loves our veterans and looks forward to recognizing their great service as soon as we can!

Questions will arise and may be directed to HFR President Rich Stewart. The Media may submit any questions by email to HFR at: [email protected].

Honor Flight Rochester (“HFR”) has postponed its June 20-21 Mission due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is aligned with the recent announcement by the national Honor Flight Network which extended the mandatory flight suspension until June 30. This is based on federal and state directives. Currently Maryland’s stay home order is “indefinite” in duration and Virginia’s stay home order runs through at least June 10. Arlington National Cemetery remains closed to the public and there is no date certain when ANC will reopen and resume public viewing of the changing of the guard.

We continue to monitor the federal and DC area orders. If further suspensions reaching into the fall flying season are necessary, the circumstances at that time will prevail and be closely reviewed.

Additionally the current suspension of all Honor Flight related Events will run at least through May 31^. Eventual resumption of HFR local Events must abide by ALL applicable local, state and federal mandates in place at that time. This includes but is not limited to group size, event location and any other specifications. All Events must fall within the legal criteria of the mandates.

As always the safety and health of our veterans and volunteers is paramount. HFR Missions are meant to be the trip of a lifetime for our area’s beloved Veterans. Our Veterans tend to be in a high-risk category, due to age and medical conditions, that put them at greater risk for contracting viruses, such as, Coronavirus (“COVID-19”). The apex for COVID-19 in Washington. DC is forecasted for this summer. Our Veterans will be better served by delaying our future missions until this pandemic has fully subsided. Those Veterans who were planning to fly with us on postponed missions, remain at the “top of the list” and will be flown as soon as HFR is able to take them on the trip of their lifetime.

Looking forward, HFR will wait until the risk from COVID-19 is in the past and it is entirely safe to travel. We want to avoid the potential exposure of our Veterans and Volunteers. This is the prudent path to follow.

Questions will arise and may be directed to HFR President Rich Stewart. The Media may submit any questions to HFR by submitting an email to: [email protected].

Unfortunately, Honor Flight Rochester has decided to postpone our May 2-3 Mission due to the Coronavirus. The virus is in Monroe County and in Washington, DC. We want to keep our Veterans and Volunteers safe.

We are monitoring the situation and will fly to DC when it is safe to do so.

Please continue to visit this website for updates.

Please click below to see the press release regarding the indefinite postponement of M70, originally scheduled for April 4-5, 2020:

M70 Postponement Press Release

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Click on the link below this frame to open in full page view.

View Honor Flight Rochester 2000 Veterans Flown Milestone in Full Page View

See also article on Time Warner Cable News Website here:

http://www.twcnews.com/nys/rochester/news/2015/10/4/honor-flight-rochester.html

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Click on the link below to open announcement in Word format:
Honor Flight Rochester Announces Peter Glennon Chairman of the Board

Click on the following links to see media coverage from local news outlets:
13WHAMTV Coverage 12.06.13:
http://www.13wham.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/new-chairman-honor-flight-rochester-7932.shtml

WHEC-TV 10 Coverage, 12.06.13:
http://www.whec.com/news/stories/S3237225.shtml?cat=565

YNN 9 Coverage, 12.06.13:
http://rochester.ynn.com/content/news/707946/honor-flight-names-new-chairman/

Brighton Pittsford Post, 12.06.13:
http://brighton-pittsford.whec.com/news/news/255411-honor-flight-rochester-elects-new-chairman

Rochester, NY — The Honor Flight Rochester, Inc. (HFR) board of directors has elected Major Peter J. Glennon chairman of Honor Flight Rochester. He fills the position vacated by Col. Edwin “Woody” Mench, who recently passed away. Major Glennon is one of the founders of HFR, which is a hub in the national Honor Flight Network.

“Being elected chairman of the board of Honor Flight Rochester is a great honor,” said Major Glennon, who in his civilian life is a Rochester litigation attorney and Counsel to Calihan Law PLLC. “I appreciate the trust placed in me by Honor Flight Rochester, particularly by board members Jeff Gould and Rich Stewart. I look forward to our organization continuing its mission of expressing gratitude to our veterans by taking them to Washington D.C. to visit their memorials.”

“Peter’s vision and ability to make things happen are why he will be an excellent chairman,” said Honor Flight Rochester President Richard Stewart. “His passion helped bring Honor Flight Rochester from an initial flight five years ago to become one of the leading hubs in the country today.” HFR has taken 1,492 veterans on 32 Honor Flight trips.

Glennon co-founded HFR in 2008. He formed the HFR corporate entity, provides legal counsel, and has been a long-time member of the board of directors and leadership team. As chairman, he is responsible for creating and setting the agenda for the HFR board of directors, which provides vision and strategy for HFR operations. The chairman also provides oversight of the organization’s administrative and operational functions and works with HFR president Rich Stewart and corporate officers to achieve stated goals and accomplish the organization’s mission. No member of the board, officer, or volunteer receives any compensation from HFR.

Glennon has long been involved with the community. A graduate of Leadership Rochester, he has been recognized by the Rochester Business Journal with its “Forty Under 40” award and acknowledged as an “Up & Coming Attorney” by The Daily Record. He has also received several recognitions for providing pro bono legal services in the greater Rochester area and has been named a “Super Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters.

Glennon has served in the armed forces for nearly 23 years. Before earning his commission, he started in the enlisted ranks in 1991 and currently serves with the 107th Airlift Wing, Niagara Falls ARS, New York Air National Guard. He has served in the Judge Advocate General Corps and as a squadron commander of the 107th Logistics Readiness Squadron.

He is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Monroe County Bar Association, a member of the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Veterans Affairs, a member of the American Legion Rayson-Miller Post #899 in Pittsford, and is a member of the Rochester Rotary Club.

He and his wife Kimberly reside in Pittsford, NY with their twins Madeline and Pierson, and son Holden.

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Click on the link below to open announcement in Word format:
HFR Announces Richard Stewart as New President

Click on the link below to open the article that appeared in the D&C on 11.18.13:
Rich Stewart D&C Article

Rochester, NY — The Honor Flight Rochester board of directors has named Richard “Rich” Stewart as president of Honor Flight Rochester (HFR). He is the fourth president of HFR. He has been a member of the HFR board since 2010 and has been involved since the inaugural HFR mission in 2008.

“My father, aunt and uncle were World War II veterans who passed away long before the World War II Memorial was built. They never got to see it. I wish they could have. Participating in Honor Flight Rochester is a way for me to say thank you to all the veterans for all they did so many years ago,” Stewart said.

“Rich is a long-time volunteer and is very knowledgeable of the population that we serve, and an experienced executive who can only assist in making our great organization that much better,” said HFR board member Peter J. Glennon, Esq.

Stewart retired from Legacy Senior Communities as an executive director. He also held management positions with Motorola, Aramark and Genesee Hospital. The Princeton, NJ native earned a B.S. degree from Cornell University and a MBA from New York University. He and his wife Lin met when they both attended Cornell University. The Stewarts reside in Penfield, NY. They have two daughters, both Cornell University graduates. Before settling in Penfield, the Stewarts lived in New York City, Chicago, Phoenix and in the Hudson Valley region of New York State.

In addition to volunteering with HFR, he is also an active volunteer with the Cornell Club of Rochester-director at large and Penfield Chamber of Commerce – board of directors. Previously, he served as president of the Brighton Kiwanis Club.

HFR has now escorted 1,492 WWII, Korean and Vietnam War veterans from Western NY to visit their Memorials in Washington D.C. More than 400 veterans are waiting for an HFR trip. HFR will resume taking veterans on an Honor Flight in the spring of 2014.