Hometown Hero featured at Wings of Pride Airshow

After nearly three decades spent caring for patients, mentoring future healthcare professionals and quietly serving his community, southwest Missouri Physician Assistant Jeff Del Vecchio received an honor unlike any other—a flight with the United States Air Force Thunderbirds as the 2026 Branson Wings of Pride Hometown Hero. This honor is conferred as part of each year’s Airshow on an individual who has made an extraordinary impact on their community through service, leadership and dedication to others.

As this year’s Hometown Hero, Del Vecchio experienced the flight of a lifetime in an F-16 with the Thunderbirds on September 4, the day before the CoxHealth Branson Wings of Pride Air Show officially began at Branson Airport.

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Clockwise from top left: Del Vecchio is zipped up in a flight suit; Del Vecchio is briefed in the cockpit; Del Vecchio's family waves as he takes off; Del Vecchio receives special recognition for joining the 9G club (Photos courtesy of Wings of Pride)

Although the flight with pilot “Razz” lasted about an hour, including flying as the tail plane of the formation during part of the Thunderbirds’ rehearsal for weekend flights, the Hometown Hero experience extends well beyond takeoff. Del Vecchio’s day included briefings with members of the Thunderbirds team, a flight physical and G-force training, a fitting with Aircrew Flight Equipment Specialists and a preflight briefing with his pilot before the 3:20 p.m. takeoff. “There was great information pre-flight and great communication during the flight,” Del Vecchio said of Razz and the rest of the team. He also complimented the coaching he received from the team’s flight surgeon for breathing techniques to handle a goal of 9 Gs of force. 

For nearly 30 years, Del Vecchio has served patients across southwest Missouri as a Physician Assistant specializing in orthopedics. His commitment to patient care has earned him numerous honors, including Mercy Springfield’s Advanced Practice Clinician of the Year and recognition as a Springfield Business Journal Healthcare Champion. He has also repeatedly ranked among the top 10 percent nationally for patient satisfaction. He has also held leadership positions within the Missouri Academy of Physician Assistants and currently serves as Director of Clinical Informatics, the technology side of patient care, for Mercy while continuing to practice clinically.  

But much of Del Vecchio’s impact has happened outside the exam room. For more than two decades, he has volunteered as an educator and mentor to future Physician Assistants through Missouri State University and previously Saint Louis University. Through his work as an adjunct faculty member, clinical preceptor, lecturer, admissions committee member and advisor, he has helped educate and inspire countless students who now care for patients throughout Missouri and beyond.

His community involvement also includes serving on the Board of Directors for the YMCA of Southwest Missouri and performing trumpet with the Caduceus Doctors’ Band, a volunteer jazz ensemble coordinated through MSU, whose performances have provided more than $50,000 in nursing scholarships while helping raise millions of dollars for local nonprofits over the past three decades.

Del Vecchio is also involved with Man Up and Go, a Christian men’s organization supporting children from fatherless households. The organization’s “Fight for the Fatherless” includes coming alongside single-parent households in practical ways such as household repairs, as well as being there for kids’ school events and special occasions. For the past four years, he has participated in RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa), cycling to help raise awareness for the organization’s mission. He encourages other men to respond to the great need for positive male role models and mentors by checking out the organization’s website, www.manupandgo.org. 

Those closest to Del Vecchio say much of what makes him deserving of the Hometown Hero honor has happened without fanfare: His countless hours mentoring students, volunteering, supporting charitable organizations and helping others simply because he believes it is the right thing to do. His wife and family were on hand to watch the flight experience from the grassy area near the team command station where they could hear some of the flight communication. Del Vecchio said that after the flight, as he and his wife were together in their car, she looked at him with amazement and asked, “Did that really just happen?”  

The Thunderbirds flight also has a special meaning for Del Vecchio, a longtime aviation enthusiast whose father is a retired pilot. Over the years he has developed a deep appreciation for the professionalism, precision and teamwork of the U.S. Air Force demonstration team, as well as their commitment and the time they spend on the road, often away from their families, because they believe in promoting awareness of our nation’s military. 

“It was definitely an honor to be considered a Hometown Hero,” he said, “but our military men and women are the real heroes.”