Hundreds lined a Warwick airport to send 30 veterans to Washington

WJAR reported on May 5, 2026, that hundreds of people dressed in red, white, and blue lined T.F. Green Airport in Warwick that Saturday for the sendoff of the RI250 Honor Flight. Signs thanked the travelers, most of them Rhode Islanders. Thirty veterans boarded with guardians, staff, and medical personnel, 52 people in all, for an all-expenses-paid trip to the memorials in Washington.

George Farrell, chairman of the Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub, said this was his 34th flight. He said the hub has taken about 1,100 veterans, beginning with World War II and later adding Korea and Vietnam. The RI 250 Commission sponsored this particular flight. Farrell said many of the travelers would not have been able to make the trip on their own because of age or health.

Ninety-nine-year-old Joseph Mignanelli went with his son Richard as escort. Mignanelli said he had not believed the day would come. Navy veteran Frank Rodrigues called it one of the best days of his life because people recognized his service. Dennis Langlois, another veteran on the flight, said the visit was more than he had expected. WJAR described the day as about 15 hours, with time at the monuments and at ceremonies.