Local 25 Army Veterans Honored with Flight to Remember

Two Local Union 25 retirees, Steve Stone and Willy Fink, were among the veterans honored on the 67th Honor Flight of the Quad Cities on September 22. Both men were surprised to see one another on the flight.

More than 80 veterans took off from Quad Cities International Airport in Moline that day. Honor Flight of the Quad Cities is a local chapter of the Honor Flight Network that flies area veterans to Washington, D.C., to see the memorials built in their honor. The QC chapter was established in 2008, and the flights are sponsored by Hy-Vee’s stores in the Quad Cities, Clinton and North Scott.

Steve served in the U.S. Army from October 1966 to September 1968. After basic training at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, he spent 18 months in Stuttgart, Germany, working as a motor pool dispatcher and in aviation petroleum, oils and lubricants.

Willy served in the U.S. Army from June 1982 to April 1986 as a heavy equipment construction mechanic with the Combat Engineers. After training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, he spent a year in South Korea at Camp Mercer before moving to Fort Stewart, Georgia.

Both men shared many standouts from the experience. For Steve, it was the welcome home the veterans received at the Quad Cities International Airport: adults, kids and families alike shouting "USA," holding posters and signs and shaking hands with the veterans as they got off the plane. "It was pretty nice. You get lots of attention," he said. For Willy, who spent a year stationed in South Korea, visiting the Korean War Veterans Memorial was a standout.

Happy late birthday to Steve, who turned 80 on October 12, and thank you to both men for their service to our country and our union.