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NJ veterans celebrated with 'trip of lifetime' in Honor Flight

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Published  October 16, 2024 10:57pm EDT
Gloucester County
FOX 29 Philadelphia

NJ veterans recognized for service, sacrifice with Honor Flight

It’s a day dozens of veterans in New Jersey will never forget. They were honored with members of their community showing their appreciation and saying thank you for their service and sacrifice.

WILLIAMSTOWN, N.J. - It was a special day for some New Jersey veterans to recognize their service and sacrifice.

The Williamstown and surrounding communities came out in force to welcome home 92 vets. These American heroes spent the day in Washington DC visiting their respective war memorials, all thanks to the South Jersey Honor Flight in cooperation with Williamstown High School.

93-year-old Korean War veteran Barry Falk says the trip made him very proud, "It was wonderful. Couldn’t have been any better. They treated us like kings. We saw everything we went to see. It was extra, extra special."

92-year-old Korean War vet Ray Galbraith, got emotional, choking back tears, "I’m just blown away. I can’t believe it after all these years. It was great."

Gretchen Czbas is a teacher and an Honor Flight board member. She was one of the driving forces behind the event. She explained, "Many of our veterans are actually Vietnam veterans who never got a welcome home and this is a big part of what we do here and the kids take that responsibility seriously."

The kids she’s referring to, Williamstown High students, decorated the school in red, white and blue for the vets, serving them breakfast early Wednesday morning and then cheering them on as they made their way down the high school hallways, to their waiting buses. The students say it’s important for their generation to say thank you.

Shailah Piere is a Williamstown sophomore and said, ""It just means something to me because I want to show that I care. I'm glad that they helped serve this country."

100-year-old World War II Navy veteran, Matthew Blaine, said it was the trip of a lifetime, "It was excellent, excellent. These people couldn't do enough for you. The memorial was fascinating. First time I've seen it. I'm overwhelmed."

The Honor Flight is also giving the students, past and present, a unique opportunity to connect and communicate with veterans. Rebecca Dalonzo graduated in 2016 and was involved then and continues to the present day. She remarked, "I love this. It's an event we can all come together, not even just the veteran, but the kids with the adults, and veterans of different wars."

The South Jersey Honor Flight has been sending veterans to DC for the trip of a lifetime since 2008. Wednesday’s trip is its 22nd, with the nonprofit celebrating over 2,000 New Jersey veterans for the last 16 years, with many more trips to come.