SULLIVAN COUNTY – The Hudson Valley Honor Flight held its 31st visitation to Washington D.C. on Sunday, October 8 — with 84 Veterans and a number of guardians and aides making the trip.

Ralph Huebner, a Narrowsburg-based U.S. Navy veteran (1954-1957, 1978-1980), described the trip, which included a captivating and meticulous ritual that is performed continuously at the Tomb, perfectly timing 21 seconds for every action made by the soldier on their watch.

A host of people said goodbye to the group at 5:30 a.m. as they departed. Fire departments showered water in an arch above the three fully-loaded buses as they drove through on their way to the airport. 

Throughout the group’s trip to the nation’s capitol, they viewed poignant locations such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery, the Iwo Jima Statue, the Vietnam Memorial Wall, the Korean Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. 

The group also included four female veterans and one WWII veteran.

According to Huebner, hundreds of letters thanking him and his fellow veterans for their service this year were received.

“It was great, over probably a thousand people welcomed us home when we returned from Washington DC,” Huebner said.

Huebner also expressed his appreciation for ShopRite, who contributed to the trip’s sponsorship.

“Some Vietnam Veterans had tears running down their faces because last time [they came home] some of them were spit on,” Huebner said. 

“It was a good change.”