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By Ayanna Eckblad

This weekend a fundraiser seeking to recognize veterans and honor the sacrifices they made will be held in Albert Lea.

According to the organization’s website, “Honor Flight Twin Cities is a nonprofit organization created solely to honor America’s World War II and Korean veterans for all of their sacrifices. We transport our heroes at no cost to Washington, D.C., to visit and reflect at their memorials.” The organization began in 2005.

Typically veterans apply to be a part of this program and the trip takes place over the course of one day. A plane takes the veterans and “guardians” to Washington, D.C., where they are able to view the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial as well as other sites like Arlington National Cemetery, the Iwo Jima Memorial and the Washington Monument. Following the visit, they eat lunch and are sometimes able to be visited by a Minnesota senator before heading back home. The next trip is scheduled for October 2025, but fundraising needs to begin early due to the high cost of the event.

One of the event’s organizers, Jerry Monson of Albert Lea, described how much this means to the veterans participating in these trips.

“We always want to keep people aware of what the veterans have done for this country,” Monson said. “We just want to have a positive image of the veterans.”

Monson became involved with Honor Flight Twin Cities when a friend of his, Gaylen Johnson, spoke about it. Johnson has been on 22 of these trips as a guardian, paying his own way each time.

“He’s just thrilled to death when he gets to go on these trips,” Monson said. One of Johnson’s favorite parts of the trip is seeing the veterans’ expressions as they visit their respective war memorials.

“It brings back a lot of memories of their old friends, some who didn’t make it home with them,” Monson said.

Johnson described stories of veterans returning from war who were met with indifference or even anger or ridicule.

“This is just one little way of saying thank you,” he said.

In 2010, Johnson was able to go on an Honor Flight Twin Cities trip as a guardian with his father, one of the first Navy frogmen during World War II.

“Amazing things happen on these trips,” Johnson said, encouraging people to attend the fundraiser. “There’s laughter and tears … it’s really really emotional.”

After hearing about Honor Flight Twin Cities and what it was all about, Monson decided he wanted to get involved. As former chairman of the Eddie Cochran car show for eight years, Monson has experience planning large scale events. He said this was helpful especially when booking bands to play live music at the fundraiser as he knows many in the area.

The fundraiser will kick off on Saturday with a 65-mile cruise through Freeborn County. The car cruise will begin with the car lineup at 1 p.m. in the old clinic parking lot on Washington Avenue and promptly departing at 2:30 p.m..

The cruise will go through nine towns in Freeborn County and end back in Albert Lea at North Broadway. The cost of the event is $5 per car participating in the cruise.

Following the cruise the fun will continue at 6:30 p.m. at American Legion Post 56. Rochester band The Gopher Tones will play live music, and there will be a variety of food provided by local food trucks and the Legion. The cost of the event is a freewill donation.

A special ceremony will be at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Fountain Lake Park. The participants in the Honor Flight trip will be present along with Mayor Rich Murray and the Albert Lea Honor Guard. Following the ceremony The Baldy Holly Band will perform.

Monson said The Baldy Holly Band is from England and has never performed in Minnesota. Geneva Bar and Grill will serve drinks at the event. Donations will also be accepted at this concert.
“Sunday is the big deal, as far as I’m concerned,” Monson said. “We want to encourage everyone in the community to come out and support this … see some nice cars during the cruise, and just have a good vibe from it.”