What is new for Northwoods Drifter in 2026
Nearly 100 veterans sat aboard a chartered jet at Central Wisconsin Airport on a Monday morning that should have been triumphant. Instead, they waited three hours on the tarmac while bureaucracy sorted itself out somewhere in Washington D.C.
The 55th Never Forgotten Honor Flight mission hit an unexpected snag when a last-minute pilot change with Sun Country Airlines triggered a TSA clearance issue. What these veterans had waited years to experience—a trip to the nation’s capital to visit memorials built in their honor—would have to wait one more day.
For men and women in their seventies, eighties, and one centenarian, every day matters.
Mark ‘Willie’ Williamson, a Vietnam veteran, boarded the plane around 6:45 that Monday morning with more than 90 other vets. By 10 a.m., they were still sitting there.
“I’ve never seen anything as messed up as this,” Williamson said.
The group included 86 Vietnam-era veterans, four Korean War vets, and one 100-year-old WWII veteran. They’d all made the drive to Mosinee in the pre-dawn darkness, gone through the emotional airport send-off with flags and fire truck water arches, and settled into their seats for what should have been a straightforward charter flight.
Ken Moberg, president of Never Forgotten Honor Flight‘s Northern Wisconsin Chapter, explained the holdup: “My understanding is that a crew change necessitated a special waiver between the airline and TSA. The hang up there is somewhere in D.C., where they are trying to get this waiver approved.”
“If we wait until September, a lot of these guys might not be around, including myself. When you get to your mid-seventies, time isn’t guaranteed to anybody.” — Mark ‘Willie’ Williamson, Vietnam veteran
After three and a half hours, organizers made the difficult call. Cancel Monday’s flight and try again Tuesday morning.
The alternative—waiting for the next scheduled mission in September—wasn’t acceptable to most of these veterans. Williamson put it plainly: at their age, September might as well be a lifetime away.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to see the changing of the guard at Arlington Cemetery,” he said. “I was really looking forward to it.”
The delay meant scrapping some planned stops in Washington. Timing matters when you’re trying to fit in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the WWII Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery all in one day.
The Northwoods takes care of its own, and that showed up fast. Local hotels accommodated the veterans and their guardians overnight. The chapter coordinated meals, transportation, and support to ensure everyone could make Tuesday’s rescheduled departure.
This wasn’t just any flight for the Northern Wisconsin Chapter. The 55th mission was dedicated to army veteran Ronald H. Nicklaus and marked the chapter’s first flight of 2026.
Since its founding in 2010, the chapter has now transported over 5,300 veterans from the Northwoods region to Washington D.C. Every mission pairs each veteran with a Guardian Angel—a volunteer who stays with them throughout the trip, helping with wheelchairs, medication reminders, and making sure no one gets left behind.
The Northwoods has one of the highest veteran populations in Wisconsin. In Marathon County alone, over 12% of residents are veterans—well above state and national averages.
These aren’t abstract statistics. They’re your neighbor who ran the hardware store for forty years. The guy who plows your driveway in winter. The woman who taught your kids in school before you knew she’d served two tours in Vietnam.
When an Honor Flight gets delayed, it ripples through the entire community. Families who took time off work to see their fathers off. Volunteers who organized the send-off. Local businesses that donated food and services.
The good news? Tuesday’s flight took off without further issues. Those veterans got their day in Washington after all.
The pilot change that caused Monday’s delay reflects broader issues facing regional aviation. Nationwide, airlines face a pilot shortage approaching 17,000 positions, according to FAA data.
Wisconsin’s aviation sector isn’t immune. The state faces roughly a 15% pilot shortfall, exacerbated by retirements and certification requirements that take years to complete.
For charter operations like Honor Flights, which rely on airline partnerships, these staffing challenges create vulnerability. Sun Country Airlines has partnered with the chapter for multiple missions, but last-minute crew changes can cascade into TSA compliance issues that ground even the most carefully planned flights.
Still, delays like this remain rare. The Northern Wisconsin Chapter has completed 55 missions with remarkably few hiccups—a testament to the organizers’ meticulous planning and the airline partners’ commitment.
The chapter will continue flying missions throughout 2026, with the next scheduled for September. More than 300 Northwoods veterans remain on the waiting list.
Every mission brings economic benefits too. Each flight injects an estimated $500,000 into the regional economy through hotels, restaurants, and related tourism spending. For a region built on seasonal tourism, these veteran-focused events provide reliable mid-year business.
More importantly, they provide closure. Many of these veterans came home to protests rather than parades. The memorials they’re visiting didn’t exist when they returned from war.
One extra day of waiting after decades? These veterans have endured worse. But as Willie Williamson reminded us, time’s the one thing you can’t negotiate with—even if TSA hasn’t figured that out yet.
Written by
Mike has been coming up or living in the Northwoods since his childhood. He is also an avid outdoorsman, writer and supper club aficionado.
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