General | 11/5/2026 4:30:00 PM

La Crosse, Wis. - After 13 years of bringing together generations to honor local heroes, Freedom Honor Flight has made the difficult decision to discontinue the Veterans Day Breakfast hosted with the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Intercollegiate Athletics Department.

The event, held in UWL's Mitchell Hall, was free to all veterans and their families with breakfast served by student-athletes from the Eagles' 21 intercollegiate athletic teams.

"The decision to discontinue the Veterans Day breakfast at UWL was a difficult choice for the Freedom Honor Flight Board of Directors," said Freedom Honor Flight Board President Dave Larsen. "We truly care about the Veterans that we serve, and we will continue to work for the Veterans in this region."

"UWL Intercollegiate Athletics is grateful to be able to be a part of this event the last 13 years with Freedom Honor Flight and have a campus-community connection while saying thank you to our service members and their families," said UWL Head Men's Track & Field Coach Josh Buchholtz, who took a lead role on campus in helping organize the event.

"We want to thank former Freedom Honor Flight Board President Pat Stephens for his guidance and helping to get the Veterans Breakfast off the ground," added Buchholtz.
 
Buchholtz was recognized at the Onalaska Omni Center on October 25 for UWL's support of the Veterans Day Breakfast at the Freedom Honor Flight reunion with veterans and guardians on its flight in September.  

"We will miss honoring our veterans with the annual breakfast but we will continue to be part of Veterans Day in our community," said Buchholtz. "A huge thank you to all the UWL campus entities, community organizations, and our friends with Freedom Honor Flight."

UWL will hold its annual Veterans Day celebration at the Eagles' football game versus UW-River Falls on Saturday, November 7 at 1 p.m. A three volley salute and moment of silence will take place along with the playing of Taps before kickoff. The Screaming Eagles Marching Band will play the Armed Forces Medley at halftime.

Veterans with their military identification will receive a free ticket to the game. The free ticket can be found on UWL's GoFan page (https://gofan.co/event/6786208?schoolId=WI100293) or in-person at the ticket window on Saturday.

UWL's commitment to honoring veterans extends beyond the annual breakfast. Through its ROTC program, Veteran & Military Connection office and longstanding support of Freedom Honor Flight, the university continues to support and celebrate those who have served. UWL's Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex, including the Veterans' Hall of Honor, stands as a lasting tribute to service members and reflects UWL's enduring connection to the veteran community.
 
Originally owned by the city of La Crosse and named Fairground Football Field, the stadium was dedicated and renamed in honor of veterans from all wars in 1948.  After the university bought the facility from the City of La Crosse for $1 in 1987, a major renovation was financed by the State Building Commission to improve the structure and exterior appearance of the stadium.  The new facility was dedicated at a special program September 12, 2009.