Washington Co., Wi – There will be six veterans from Washington County, Wi, on the Saturday, October 10, 2026, Stars and Stripes Honor Flight to Washington D.C. One of the veterans is Russ Heberer, 82, of Kewaskum who served six years in the Navy during the Vietnam War.
At 18 years old, Heberer made a decision that surprised his parents. He left his senior year at Kewaskum High School and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Heberer enlisted in 1962 and served until 1966. Unlike many Vietnam-era veterans, he was not drafted.
“I joined the Navy,” Heberer said. That decision came during his senior year of high school and Heberer said his parents were not exactly enthusiastic about his decision.
His interest in the Navy was partly inspired by his older brother, John, who had also served in the Navy.
“I just enjoyed watching him come home,” Heberer said.
Heberer enlisted in the Sheboygan/Fond du Lac area and soon reported to Great Lakes for boot camp. After training, he was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal.
During his four years in the Navy, Heberer made three Mediterranean cruises, visiting Italy, Spain, France, Turkey, Greece and other destinations. The Navy also took him to the Bahamas.
His job was in aviation fuels and flight deck control.
Heberer helped determine how much fuel aircraft needed and coordinated the fueling of planes before they took off. The work required knowing the aircraft’s load and making sure pilots had enough fuel to return safely to the carrier.
When asked how he ended up in that position, Heberer offered a simple answer.
“By being a good sailor,” he said.
Heberer eventually reached the rank of E-3.
Although he was serving during the Vietnam era, Heberer was aboard ship rather than serving on the ground in Vietnam.
“We had a lot of action,” he said, “but not exploring action like the guys did on land.”
After leaving the Navy in 1966, Heberer returned to the Kewaskum area. He tried roofing before finding work he enjoyed as a truck driver.
He spent about 18 years driving semi, a job that appealed to him because it allowed him to travel throughout the United States.
Eventually, Heberer moved into construction and built warehouses along Highway D and Highway 45.
Now 82, Heberer is looking forward to traveling again, but this trip has a much different destination and purpose.
His grandson, Jesse Werbelow of Kewaskum, will accompany him as his guardian.
“He’s a young guy and I wanted to see a little bit of the world too.”
But there is one stop Heberer is anticipating more than any other.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial. “For the most part, it’s just seeing the Wall,” he said.
Heberer specifically wants to find the name of a Kewaskum veteran, Mr. Fickler, who died in Vietnam.
“It’s all the people that got killed in that war,” Heberer said. “I want to go see him. That’s my main goal.”
Others from Washington County, Wi on the flight include Vietnam veteran David Martin of Hubertus who served in the Navy, Craig Farrell of West Bend who served in the Navy Reserves during Vietnam, Joseph Roderick of West Bend who served in the Navy as a Corpsman during Vietnam, and two other veterans, from Richfield and West Bend who did not want to be identified.
The Stars and Stripes Honor Flight’s 89th mission will take off on Saturday, October 10. Two Southwest Airlines 737 aircraft will leave Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport at approximately 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. on flight day, bound for Washington Dulles International Airport with 112 local veterans (and their guardians) on board.
On that day, Stars and Stripes Honor Flight will welcome 1 Korean War veteran, 1 Cold War veteran, 109 Vietnam and Vietnam Era veterans, and 1 Iraq veteran.
Veterans taking their Stars and Stripes Honor Flight on October 10 include a Vietnam War Air Force pilot who flew B-52 bombers and rescue helicopters, an Iraq War Army squad leader, and an Army colonel who served in Vietnam, Kosovo, Bosnia, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan.
After the planes land at Dulles Airport on flight day, the veterans will board coach buses to tour Washington DC’s WWII Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Air Force Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Wall, and more. The day will also include viewing the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
Veterans’ families and friends and all members of the community are encouraged to attend the Homecoming parades at Mitchell Airport that evening. The two planes are scheduled to land at 8:15 pm (alpha) and 9:30 pm (bravo). The Kettle Moraine High School Band, the Wisconsin Lutheran College Power Surge Dance Team and the Waukesha North High School Dance Team will provide spirit for the Homecoming festivities.
Prior to the October 10 flight, Stars and Stripes Honor Flight has flown 11,447 local veterans on these trips to Washington DC since 2008, and has honored more than 50 veterans locally who were not able to fly. As an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff and no offices, the organization is proud to share that $.97 of every donated dollar goes directly to flying and honoring veterans.
Honor Flight is a national program with more than 130 hubs from coast to coast. Nationally, hubs in the Honor Flight Network have taken well over 300,000 veterans to see their memorials.
Timeline of activities for the Saturday, October 10, 2026, Stars and Stripes Honor Flight:
5:00 am – Veterans and their guardians begin check in at Mitchell Airport’s main concourse
5:50 am & 6:50 am – National Anthem by Karen Vasatko and Tom Thiele
6:30 am – First Sendik’s Stars and Stripes Honor Flight departs for Washington Dulles Airport, water cannon salute on runway
7:30 am – Second Sendik’s Stars and Stripes Honor Flight departs for Dulles Airport, water cannon salute on runway 9:00 am – 10:00 am (ET) – Flights arrive at Dulles Airport, load buses for DC tour
6:30 pm (ET) – Return to Dulles Airport, load planes for departure back to MKE
8:00 pm (CT, approximate) and 9:20 pm (CT, approximate) – Return flights land at Mitchell Airport, veterans deplane for parade through the airport’s main concourse.
