HONOR FLIGHT SYRACUSE NEWSLETTER (FALL 2026)

Jim Earle of Baldwinsville served in Vietnam from 1966-1968 with the 5th Battalion, 46th Infantry, part of 198th Light Infantry Brigade. He was one of 75 Vietnam veterans who flew on Mission 25 to Washington on September 19. As he sat with his guardian Jake Hildreth, Jim spent a few minutes talking with Honor Flight…

”This donation is given in memory of my husband, Michael A. White, to honor his birthday on May 28. He passed away January 15, 2026. Mike was lucky enough to be on Mission Flight 21 along with my brother James McCarthy. Mike was in the Navy on the aircraft carrier Ticonderoga and was so proud…

Honor Flight Syracuse is an all-volunteer organization, funded entirely by private donations from people and other organizations who love and honor our veterans. The missions to Washington are provided at no cost to our veterans. Once each year, in early November, we send our annual appeal letter in the U.S. Mail. Please look for it…

Tom Schmitz of Oneida served in Vietnam, 1970-1971. On March 26, 1971 his firebase on the Laotian border was overrun, resulting in 33 KIA and 77 wounded. Tom’s many awards include 2 Bronze Stars. Below is a portion of a letter he wrote after flying on Mission 24. Thank you for your service Tom. “IT…

Honor Flight Syracuse Mission 25 is the focus of not one, but two TV specials on Veterans Day! NewsChannel 9’s Ryan Dean and Jack Estabrook flew with Mission 25. Tune in to NewsChannel 9 on Veterans Day at 7:00 pm to see their special program about our latest mission. WCNY-TV, Channel 24 will air its…

Sunday, November 8-th…mark your calendar for a great afternoon of music to honor our veterans! It’s absolutely free, but any goodwill donations will directly benefit Honor Flight Syracuse. Thanks to Maria DeSantis and her all-star group of singers and musicians!

Lots going on in November to celebrate our veterans! The annual CNY Veterans Parade and Expo is Saturday November 7 at the State Fairgrounds. Parade at noon. Expo from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. More at http://www.cnyveteransparade.org/ HONOR EVERYWHERE: Tuesday November 10, 2026 @ 10:30am St. Camillus Home  813 Fay Road Syracuse, NY We will…

Lieutenant Commander Alex Dietrich, U.S. Navy (Retired), served as an F-18 strike fighter pilot for 20 years.. from 2001-2021. She flew combat missions in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Her last deployment was boots on-ground as a Reconstruction engineer in Afghanistan. She is a Combat Air Medal and Bronze Star recipient. Currently,…

START SAVING THOSE BOTTLES AND CANS AGAIN! OUR NEXT DRIVE IS SATURDAY MAY 1 AND SUNDAY MAY 2 AT DESTINY USA SPREAD THE WORD…AND THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF OUR VETERANS!

Summer festivals may seem a distant memory, but we will never forget the generosity of Tops Friendly Markets and Summit Federal Credit Union at the Taste of Syracuse in June. Thanks to their support of the festival and love for our veterans, Tops donated more than $11,000 to HFS! Summit came through with $4,000! And…

On October 11, Dante Scaccia celebrated his 101st birthday and Clear Path for Veterans welcomed HFS for a Centenarian Salute to this World War 2 Navy Veteran. Here’s how our friends at Clear Path described the special day: ”Dante’s remarkable life has been filled with achievements worth celebrating. He attended college at just 14 years…

Once again, our volunteers did a great job spreading our message with logo apparel sales — a new high of 242 t-shirts & sweatshirts sold along with 58 hats at the Mission 25 welcome home!   Veteran Joseph Cummins’ family bought Honor Flight Syracuse t-shirts on Friday and had the back personalized with their father/grandfather’s…

David Detlor was the guest of honor at the opening of the 108th American Legion Department of New York Convention in Syracuse. He is being addressed by Past Department Commander John Miga at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown. When HFS volunteer Dawn McPeak visited David to celebrate his 100th birthday last January, he recalled his service…

A huge thanks to Auburn Elks Lodge 474, and the efforts of Valerie Parson for a generous donation of $1000 to HFS! Pictured here with Honor Flight’s Angelo Testani is Mike Damazyn, exalted ruler for Lodge 474.