What is new for Northwoods Drifter in 2026
When Todd Nicklaus stood at the Lincoln Memorial last month, he wasn’t there to honor just any veteran. He was there to complete a journey his father started but never finished.
Ronald Nicklaus passed away in 2023 at age 87, just six weeks before his scheduled Never Forgotten Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. So his son went in his place, carrying a folded American flag and a framed photo of the man who’d served his country, built three companies, and quietly changed countless lives across the Northwoods.
The moment Todd pushed that empty wheelchair across the memorial plaza, whispering “I love you, and I miss you” to his father’s image, the 55th Never Forgotten Honor Flight became something more than a trip. It became a bridge between generations and a reminder that service never really ends.
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Ron Nicklaus didn’t ask to be a soldier. The draft came for him in 1958, during those tense post-Korean War years when young men across Wisconsin traded fishing rods for rifles.
He completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri — a place known for turning farm boys into disciplined servicemen. Todd remembers his father’s stories about those grueling months. “He said it was just an experience he will never forget. It made him so much better as a person.”
After additional training in Kentucky, Ron returned home to serve with the 32nd Reserve Unit in Tomahawk. That posting kept him close to the pine forests and logging roads he knew, but the lessons from those barracks stayed with him forever. “It made you appreciate what you had,” Todd recalled his father saying.
The 32nd Infantry Division carries deep roots in Wisconsin military history, stretching back to World War I. For Ron, serving in its reserve ranks meant joining a tradition that connected Northwoods veterans across generations.
Ron Nicklaus never stopped building after his military service ended. Todd describes his father as “a daydreamer” with unstoppable drive — the kind of guy who saw possibilities where others saw obstacles.
Over the decades, Ron founded three companies spanning agriculture and banking. His most notable creation, IncredibleBank, grew from Northwoods roots into a regional presence. But success never changed how he treated people.
“He saw people as if everyone was on the same plane,” Todd explained. “It didn’t matter what walk of life they came from. He said ‘they’re all individuals and deserve to be treated as individuals.’ Everyone has a story.”
That philosophy — treating the logger and the banker with equal respect — runs deep in small-town Wisconsin culture. It’s what makes communities like Tomahawk work.
Ron’s most lasting impact might be the one most people never saw. He donated more than $250,000 to Never Forgotten Honor Flight, ensuring Northwoods veterans could visit their memorials in D.C. without paying a dime.
Think about what that means in counties like Lincoln, Oneida, and Vilas — where median incomes hover around $52,000 and many aging veterans live on fixed incomes. A trip to Washington isn’t just expensive. For some, it’s impossible.
Honor Flight removes that barrier completely. The organization covers:
Ron’s generosity kept those trips free. When he passed away, Never Forgotten dedicated their 55th mission in his honor — a tribute to the quiet banker who never forgot where he came from or who served alongside him.
“What I’ve learned is…it’s about your service. And really doing what you’re called upon to do by your country. That’s what dad did. And every single one of these veterans have done.” — Todd Nicklaus
These aren’t just feel-good field trips. For aging veterans across northern Wisconsin, Honor Flights provide something deeper — recognition, closure, and connection.
The Northwoods has one of the highest veteran populations per capita in the state. In small towns like Tomahawk (population around 1,300), nearly everyone knows a veteran personally. Many served in Korea or Vietnam, conflicts that didn’t always receive hero’s welcomes when soldiers came home.
Honor Flight changes that narrative. When vets return to Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport, they’re greeted by hundreds of cheering neighbors, schoolkids waving flags, and fire trucks spraying water arches overhead. It’s the welcome home some never got.
Studies show these trips reduce veteran isolation and depression. For rural communities where the nearest VA hospital might be an hour away, that social connection matters as much as any medical treatment.
Todd’s tribute at the Lincoln Memorial wasn’t about finishing his father’s bucket list. It was about continuing a conversation between father and son, between one generation of veterans and the next.
When he quoted his father — “I don’t deserve this” — Todd captured the humility that defines Northwoods veterans. They don’t see themselves as heroes. They see themselves as people who answered when called, did their jobs, and came home to build better communities.
Never Forgotten Honor Flight continues flying four missions annually from Wausau, prioritizing terminally ill veterans first, then proceeding by service era. Vietnam veterans now make up a growing percentage of participants as the WWII generation passes.
The program survives entirely on donations and volunteer hours — people like Ron who understood that honoring service can’t wait. Every year delayed is another veteran who might not make it to D.C.
For families across the Northwoods watching their parents age, Todd’s journey offers a different path. If your veteran can’t make the trip, maybe you can go for them. Carry their story. Speak their name at the wall. Push that wheelchair across the memorial plaza.
Because as Todd learned standing beneath Lincoln’s marble gaze, sometimes the greatest tribute isn’t what we do for ourselves. It’s what we do to honor those who came before — and ensure their service is never forgotten.
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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