Six veterans from Washington County, Wi on Saturday, Oct. 4, Honor Flight

Washington Co., WI – Six Vietnam veterans from Washington County will join 50 others from across the region on Saturday, October 4, for a one-day journey of remembrance and gratitude as part of Honor Flight’s 83rd mission to Washington, D.C.

Veterans from Washington County include Navy veteran Norbert Lipenski of Kewaskum, Army veteran Dean Brazee of Slinger, Navy veteran Patrick Fuhrman of West Bend, Navy veteran Carl Conrad of West Bend, Navy veteran Gene Derge of West Bend, and Air Force veteran Richard Florich of Colgate.

The group will depart early in the morning from Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport aboard a chartered Southwest Airlines flight. The passengers include 5 Korean War veterans and 51 veterans of the Vietnam War and Vietnam era. Among them are a husband-and-wife pair of Air Force veterans, a former Army helicopter pilot, a Vietnam-era tank commander, and several combat medics representing different branches of service.

After landing at Dulles International Airport, the veterans will spend the day visiting national memorials built in their honor — including the WWII Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Air Force Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. The itinerary also features a solemn stop at Arlington National Cemetery to witness the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The flight is scheduled to return to Milwaukee around 8 p.m. that evening. Families, friends, and community members are encouraged to gather at the airport to give the veterans a spirited “Welcome Home” parade as they deplane and walk through the main concourse.

Since its founding in 2008, the local Honor Flight hub has flown more than 10,900 veterans to the nation’s capital and has honored dozens more who could not travel. The nonprofit is entirely volunteer-driven and relies on community support to provide these trips at no cost to the veterans.

For the six Washington County veterans and their fellow travelers, the day promises to be both emotional and unforgettable — a chance to reflect, reconnect, and receive the recognition many of them never experienced when they first returned home from service.