As part of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh’s annual tribute to U.S. military service members, 100 veterans of the Vietnam War were honored with a Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight to Washington DC on July 25.
The mission, now in its 11th year at the aviation convention, provided a no-cost visit to national memorials and a public welcome home decades after their service.
The 72nd annual AirVenture, held from July 21 to 27 at Wittman Regional Airport, featured the flight as one of its signature “Salute to Veterans” events. The veterans departed from Oshkosh in the morning and returned after the afternoon air show, where thousands of attendees gathered to greet them at Boeing Plaza.
“The Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight is one of the most memorable events of AirVenture week and our Salute to Veterans activities each year,” said Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member programming. “This event honors what Vietnam veterans did for this country and provides them an experience of a lifetime, while giving AirVenture attendees an opportunity to say, ‘Thanks and welcome home.’”
Old Glory Honor Flight, based in Appleton, coordinated the mission. Since 2009, the nonprofit has organized flights for Wisconsin veterans to visit war memorials in the nation’s capital, as well as special trips to Pearl Harbor and Vietnam. The Yellow Ribbon program at EAA has become one of the organization’s most visible efforts, blending aviation enthusiasm with public recognition for veterans.
“Each Honor Flight mission is a special occasion, but the ability to be a part of EAA AirVenture always creates unforgettable moments,” said Diane MacDonald, the executive director of Old Glory Honor Flight. “Honoring our local Vietnam veterans at EAA AirVenture is such a highlight. Being a witness to the enthusiasm, respect, and appreciation from the world’s aviation enthusiasts, when the flight returns to Oshkosh, is such an incredible sight to see. It means the world to the men and women who get to experience it.”
American Airlines supplied the aircraft for the round-trip journey and staffed the flight with an all-volunteer crew of pilots and flight attendants.
Retired U.S. Army soldier Leroy Petry, a Medal of Honor recipient for his actions in Afghanistan and Iraq, participated in the July 25 event. Though not a Vietnam veteran, Petry emphasized the significance of honoring those who served in that controversial war.
“I feel honored riding with this group. I wasn’t in Vietnam, but I highly respect this group because they served while I was a young kid growing up. They defended our freedoms and rights and way of life. They gave me the opportunity to serve the country,” said Petry, who lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Although Petry served in a different era, his actions in Afghanistan — where he was severely wounded while protecting fellow Rangers from a grenade blast — earned him the Medal of Honor and placed him in the national spotlight.
In the years since, he has used that platform to advocate for greater recognition of earlier generations of service members. For Petry, whose injuries were met with public respect and national awards, the contrast with how Vietnam veterans were received underscored why events like the Honor Flight are necessary.
“Whether or not they agreed with the war, they took care of our generation. They had it rough coming home from an unpopular war. A lot of them came back to an ungrateful country,” Petry said. “This is special thanks to them and saying, ‘Hey, you may not have gotten the best welcome home coming home from Vietnam, but this is what you can expect to see in the future. The welcome home that we won’t forget.'”
The homecoming at AirVenture 2025 was planned to coincide with the conclusion of the July 25 afternoon air show, ensuring that a large crowd would be present on the flight line to greet the returning veterans. The program was designed as a corrective gesture for a generation of veterans who were often denied public thanks.
Unlike the large parades that welcomed service members home from World War II, many Vietnam veterans returned to a nation divided by political unrest and social protest. That absence of acknowledgment has lingered for decades, and organizers of the Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight consider the public welcome in Oshkosh to be a vital part of the experience.
Old Glory Honor Flight’s partnership with EAA has enabled thousands of visitors at AirVenture, the world’s largest annual aviation gathering, to take part in that recognition. In that way, aviation enthusiasts from around the country have had the opportunity to join in thanking a group of veterans whose service was historically overlooked.
While Old Glory Honor Flight serves the northeastern region of Wisconsin, the Milwaukee chapter of the national Honor Flight Network also conducts regular missions from the southern part of the state.
Like its Appleton counterpart, Milwaukee’s program focuses on transporting veterans to visit war memorials in Washington DC. Though not involved in the AirVenture event, the Milwaukee chapter’s continued work reflects a statewide commitment to honoring veterans from all service eras.
The Honor Flight Network has shifted its focus in recent years to include more Vietnam-era veterans as the population of surviving World War II veterans declines. Korean War veterans are also eligible, though many are now in their late 80s or 90s. Each flight is staffed by trained volunteers who assist with medical needs, mobility, and logistics to ensure the veterans can safely complete the full-day experience.
American Airlines’ continued participation has been essential to the operation of the Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight. The carrier has provided aircraft and volunteer crews for years, helping to ensure that the flights can continue without cost to the veterans or their families. The airline’s involvement also highlights broader support from the corporate sector for veteran-focused initiatives.
As the July 25 flight taxied to a stop at Wittman Regional Airport, applause and cheers erupted from the assembled crowd. The veterans, many in uniform or wearing commemorative jackets, deplaned to handshakes, salutes, and a line of volunteers thanking them one by one.
For the men and women on that flight, the moment stood in contrast to the quiet returns of decades past. Instead, it was a visible and vocal message of gratitude from a nation finally willing to say it out loud.
© Photo
Lee Matz
