The Peru Gazette

Photo – When you realize the Water Canon salute is because you’re on the plane.

The send-off ceremony is a great family experience

On Saturday, May 18, North Country Honor Flight will take us to the skies again, bringing 30 veterans on an all-expense paid trip of a lifetime to visit their memorials, which were built in their honor. We will have Veterans from Vietnam, Desert Storm, Korea, and one WWII Veteran. Dusty Smith is taking this trip just one month before his 101st birthday. Flight leaders Laurie and Mike Parsons have done an exceptional job getting these Veterans and Guardians ready for their flight.

“Thunder in the Burgh” will return and leave the mall around 6:15 a.m. The Veterans and their escorts will arrive at Veterans Park for a send-off ceremony at 7 a.m.

After the ceremony, there will be a motorcade from the Oval to the airport; the salute by all the local fire departments and emergency squads will be on New York Ave. Unfortunately, there is limited viewing of the aircraft take-off at 9:30.

The two chartered aircraft will return at 8:15 p.m. Saturday evening. Please join us for all parts of the Honor Flight day. All events are free and open to the public. Bikers are also encouraged to attend. Lloyd Provost sets up all rides and has set his sights on 250 bikes to escort the Honor Flight buses to the airport.

North Country Honor Flight is a volunteer-driven organization that relies solely on public donations to honor our Veterans. Every donation, no matter the size, is crucial to our operations. You can make a difference by donating to NCHF PO Box 2644 Plattsburgh, NY 12901 or on our website at Northcountryhonorflight.org. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Recore family for their generous donation in memory of WWII Veteran Herb Recore, a true hero who landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and received his Purple Heart in the battle of Saint Lo.