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Honor Flight To DC Salutes Westport Veteran

Hudson Valley Honor Flight will fly its next mission Saturday to Washington, D.C., so participants can see the nation's memorials honoring veterans.

Hudson Valley Honor Flight held a meet-and-greet for the flight earlier this month.

Hudson Valley Honor Flight held a meet-and-greet for the flight earlier this month.

Photo Credit: Hudson Valley Honor Flight Facebook

"Hudson Valley Honor Flight is a nonprofit organization honoring American veterans for all their sacrifices by bringing them to Washington, D.C., to visit their respective war memorials at no cost to them," organizers note.

This Saturday flight -- dubbed Mission 14 -- will depart from Westchester County Airport in White Plains at 7:30 a.m. On board will be HVHF’s 1,000th World War II veteran.

This veteran's name is being kept confidential to ensure all World War II veterans on board are equally recognized for their military contributions. Mission 14's passenger manifest will have 60 World War II and three Korean War veterans, including three women and one former prisoner of war.

Over 60 vets will make this trip.

On this flight, there will be veterans from New Milford, River Edge and Pompton Lakes, in New Jersey, and from Greenwich and Westport, in Connecticut.

They will also be joined by vets in New York, from Armonk, Bedford, Brewster, Bronxville, Chappaqua, New City, Mahopac, Mount Kisco, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Patterson, Pelham, Pleasantville, Rye Brook, Scarsdale, Sleepy Hollow, Spring Valley, Tuckahoe, Wappingers Falls, White Plains, Yonkers and Yorktown Heights.

HVHF is also a local hub of the National Honor Flight Network, which has over 100 independent nonprofit hubs nationwide.

Each veteran is accompanied by a volunteer personal "guardian" who helps ensure that veteran's trip is a memorable one -- and covers the cost of that veteran's trip.

HVHF serves veterans from New Jersey's Bergen County; New York's Orange, Ulster, Dutchess, Westchester, Rockland, Sullivan and Putnam counties; Connecticut's Fairfield County; and Pennsylvania's Pike County. Veterans from surrounding counties are also considered. 

Top priority is given to those of the Greatest Generation, that of World War II, and terminally ill veterans from other wars. HVHF plans to take all veterans from other wars on future flights, and applications are kept on file.

To learn more or reserve a place, call 845-391-0076 or visit HVHF's website.

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