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BEMIDJI — Around 20 Bemidji area veterans are set to take off for Honor Flight of ND/MN's seasonal honor flight to Washington, D.C., on April 20.

Honor flights help veterans celebrate and commemorate their tenure alongside others who served in the United States Armed Forces with a weekend journey filled with camaraderie.

And a robust community effort ensures the veterans can go, free of charge.

Ride for the Troops' Bemidji chapter presented a $3,400 check to Honor Flight of ND/MN alongside four of the 20 area veterans on Tuesday, March 4, at the Bemidji Veterans Home, further cementing its role in the community effort that has sent over 2,000 North Dakota and Minnesota veterans to D.C since 2007.

Donations like this are part of the Veterans Honor Flight of ND/MN's mission to deliver as many area veterans as possible to D.C. to honor respective memorials. The nonprofit cannot orchestrate the flights alone as it can cost an estimated $1,700 per vet — hence the need for community support.

This trip will be no different from honor flights held in the past.

Area veterans will coalesce alongside others from around Minnesota and North Dakota in Grand Forks before departing. The veterans will spend time in the city, view different memorials, and enjoy food and company while making new friends and greeting old ones. The troupe will spend the weekend in Washington, D.C., before coming back home on April 22.

Wendell Affield, a Navy veteran, will take the April trip and spoke about two important aspects of the honor flight: camaraderie and the wait list.

"The Honor Flight is just a wonderful connection opportunity for veterans," Affield said. "For example, this morning, I was messaging back and forth with a fellow (veteran) that's going and we are really looking forward to meeting. Here's just a little trivial trivia thing: Our application started in 2023. (Since then) two of the veterans that were on the original list passed away. So, it's important for veterans to get out there (and enter the wait list)."

Tom Strassburg is another Navy veteran who will be part of the flight and is excited to see the memorials that Washington has to offer.

"This, to me, is to go see the Vietnam (Veterans Memorial) wall because I have two friends that are on there from my boat and then it's got three guys from Bemidji that are on the wall; I want to see their names," Strassburg said. "To see all the other memorials is going to be pretty exciting for me too."

Affield and Strassburg were joined by two Air Force veterans, Pat Winkler and Wayne Stefh, during the check ceremony.

To join the Honor Flight of ND/MN wait list, visit or call (218) 284-6667. Future flights are still being planned. Veterans at the top of the list are chosen first — those with health issues are expedited on the wait list. Funding dictates how many veterans make each flight.