Hudson Valley Honor Flight Will Fly Its 2,000th Veteran On Saturday

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The group that helps veterans to visit Washington, D.C., see the nation's gratitude on display firsthand and be honored by dignitaries is celebrating a remarkable milestone this weekend and you're invited.

Friends, family and members of the community are invited to Hudson Valley Honor Flight's "Mission 2,000" send-off ceremony this Saturday, at 6:30 a.m. at the Million Air - Hangar M at the Westchester County Airport (136 Tower Road).

The 26th flight, called "Mission 2,000" in honor of the 2,000 veterans, will depart from the airport at 7:30 a.m. and return at 8 p.m. The public is invited to attend the welcome home rally in the main terminal as well.

"Every flight is special, but this one is a major milestone. We are so proud to say that we have flown 2,000 veterans since our very first flight in 2012," Hudson Valley Honor Flight Chairman Frank Kimler said. “With our flights being postponed due to COVID-19 concerns just a couple of years ago, it seemed like reaching this many veterans might not happen, but here we are, and we are thrilled! We cannot thank our volunteers and ShopRite enough for all they have done for us!”

Hudson Valley Honor Flight's once-in-a-lifetime flight takes veterans to Washington, D.C., where they visit war memorials, attend a dinner in their honor and then return back home. Each veteran is escorted by a personal guardian and the flight team for the day-long trip. Honored veterans fly for free while guardians pay a fee of $400.

All flight participants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

ABOUT HUDSON VALLEY HONOR FLIGHT
Hudson Valley Honor Flight (HVHF) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization which “Honors American Veterans” for all their sacrifices. HVHF transports these heroes to Washington, D.C., to visit memorials at no cost to them. It is the local hub of the National Honor Flight Network (which consists of more than 100 independent non-profit “hubs” across America). HVHF flies multiple times a year out of Stewart International Airport and Westchester County Airport. It serves veterans from the following counties: Orange (N.Y.), Ulster (N.Y.), Dutchess (N.Y.), Westchester (N.Y.), Rockland (N.Y.), Sullivan (N.Y.), Putnam (N.Y.), Pike (Pa.), Bergen (N.J.), and Fairfield (Conn.). Veterans from other surrounding counties are considered as well. Top priority is given to those veterans of the Greatest Generation, that of WWII, followed by veterans of the Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam and all terminally ill veterans. More information can be found on their website.