Latest news with #HonorFlight
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Yahoo
Second North Country Honor Flight takes off Saturday
PLATTSBURGH — Ahead of the North Country Honor Flight's second flight of the season Saturday morning, Assemblyman Billy Jones presented a $50,000 check to organizers. The funds will help cover flight and travel expenses for local veterans to visit the Arlington National Cemetery and other veterans memorials in Washington, D.C. 'The North Country Honor Flight is an incredible organization that I am extremely proud to be able to support each and every year,' Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake, said. 'Showing support to our local heroes in such an incredible way, by sending them to our nation's capital to be recognized for their service and dedication to our country, is an amazing opportunity and a great showing of our community's appreciation of our local veterans.' Jones presented the check to Barrie Finnegan, executive director of the North Country Honor Flight on Thursday. 'I am incredibly grateful for the Assemblyman's continued support for the Honor Flight and our veterans,' Finnegan said. 'We take great pride in our program's offerings and are looking forward to the three remaining flights of 2025.' North Country Honor Flight is a 100% volunteer-led nonprofit organization committed to honoring America's veterans by providing them with free, first-class trips to Washington, D.C. These trips allow the veterans to reflect, remember, and receive the recognition for their service. The next North Country Honor Flight is scheduled for Saturday. The flight will honor and transport 30 veterans from New York and Vermont — primarily Vietnam War veterans — on a journey to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials built in their honor. The day will begin with a send-off ceremony at 7 a.m. at the US Oval, featuring the public, local veterans, families and supporters. The community is encouraged to attend and show appreciation for these American heroes as they embark on this unforgettable experience. This flight is sponsored by Harmony Golf Club, whose annual 2024 golf tournament fundraiser made this mission possible. The Honor Flight organization shared that the Harmony Golf Club tournament has become a successful and beloved tradition — the 2025 tournament is already underway, continuing its legacy of honoring veterans through community generosity and involvement. For more information about future flights or how to support the mission, visit For more information visit or contact Jerika Manning at 518-364-6503 or northcountryhonorflight@
San Francisco Chronicle
14-06-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Nationals' bat-retrieving dog Bruce laps up pregame attention, makes MLB debut
WASHINGTON (AP) — The dog days of summer arrived Saturday at Nationals Park. Bruce, a 21-month-old Golden Retriever, fetched a bat during a ceremony before the Washington Nationals' game against the Miami Marlins as part of a Pups in the Park promotion. He retrieved bats the last two seasons with the Rochester Red Wings, Washington's Triple-A affiliate. Bruce, wearing a bandana with an 'MLB debut' patch he received when he arrived at the stadium, was presented a commemorative bat. He then took a circuitous route from the dugout toward first base after Nationals reliever Zach Brzykcy dropped the bat in foul territory before the bat dog collected his quarry to the delight of a crowd wowed by his work and enthusiasm. 'Look at this dog and try not to smile,' said Josh Snyder, Bruce's owner. 'He's great. He's goofy. I think he's the perfect candidate for Rochester, the Red Wings and now the Nationals.' Snyder, who wore a No. 25 Nationals jersey with 'Bruce' on the nameplate, said he drove through the night with Bruce and arrived in Washington around 3 a.m. Saturday. But it was anything but a rough morning and early afternoon for Bruce, who casually lapped up attention as he walked through the tunnel in the stadium. Bruce spent about 50 minutes on the field before the ceremony, where he was hounded by well-wishers. He also did a couple practice bat retrievals with Snyder's assistance before Nationals catcher Riley Adams stopped to pet him on his way out for pregame work. He won't work during the actual game, however, and will return to Triple-A duties afterward. Bruce is Snyder's second dog work to with the Red Wings, following the late Milo, and both participated in campaigns to raise money for Rochester's Veterans Outreach Center and Honor Flight of Rochester. This week — which included an announcement from the Nationals on Tuesday that Bruce had worked his tail off to earn a promotion — generated plenty of buzz even before Saturday's debut. 'Social media, everything like that seems like it's seriously blown up, and we love it,' Snyder said. 'Really good publicity with our goal and our mission of bringing people together. It shows it's just doing that.' ___
Hamilton Spectator
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Nationals' bat-retrieving dog Bruce laps up pregame attention, makes MLB debut
WASHINGTON (AP) — The dog days of summer arrived Saturday at Nationals Park. Bruce, a 21-month-old Golden Retriever, fetched a bat during a ceremony before the Washington Nationals' game against the Miami Marlins as part of a Pups in the Park promotion. He retrieved bats the last two seasons with the Rochester Red Wings, Washington's Triple-A affiliate. Bruce, wearing a bandana with an 'MLB debut' patch he received when he arrived at the stadium, was presented a commemorative bat. He then took a circuitous route from the dugout toward first base after Nationals reliever Zach Brzykcy dropped the bat in foul territory before the bat dog collected his quarry to the delight of a crowd wowed by his work and enthusiasm. 'Look at this dog and try not to smile,' said Josh Snyder, Bruce's owner. 'He's great. He's goofy. I think he's the perfect candidate for Rochester, the Red Wings and now the Nationals.' Snyder, who wore a No. 25 Nationals jersey with 'Bruce' on the nameplate, said he drove through the night with Bruce and arrived in Washington around 3 a.m. Saturday. But it was anything but a rough morning and early afternoon for Bruce, who casually lapped up attention as he walked through the tunnel in the stadium. Bruce spent about 50 minutes on the field before the ceremony, where he was hounded by well-wishers. He also did a couple practice bat retrievals with Snyder's assistance before Nationals catcher Riley Adams stopped to pet him on his way out for pregame work. He won't work during the actual game, however, and will return to Triple-A duties afterward. Bruce is Snyder's second dog work to with the Red Wings, following the late Milo, and both participated in campaigns to raise money for Rochester's Veterans Outreach Center and Honor Flight of Rochester. This week — which included an announcement from the Nationals on Tuesday that Bruce had worked his tail off to earn a promotion — generated plenty of buzz even before Saturday's debut. 'Social media, everything like that seems like it's seriously blown up, and we love it,' Snyder said. 'Really good publicity with our goal and our mission of bringing people together. It shows it's just doing that.' ___ AP MLB:
Boston Globe
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Man's best friend extends to the baseball field for Nationals with bat-retrieving dog Bruce
'Look at this dog and try not to smile,' said Josh Snyder, Bruce's owner. 'He's great. He's goofy. I think he's the perfect candidate for Rochester, the Red Wings and now the Nationals.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Snyder, who wore a No. 25 Nationals jersey with 'Bruce' on the nameplate, said he drove through the night with Bruce and arrived in Washington around 3 a.m. Saturday. But it was anything but a rough morning and early afternoon for Bruce, who casually lapped up attention as he walked through the tunnel in the stadium. Advertisement Bruce spent about 50 minutes on the field before the ceremony, where he was hounded by well-wishers. He also did a couple practice bat retrievals with Snyder's assistance before Nationals catcher Riley Adams stopped to pet him on his way out for pregame work. Bruce lapped up the attention from well-wishers. Nick Wass/Associated Press He won't work during the actual game, however, and will return to Triple A duties afterward. Advertisement Bruce is Snyder's second dog work to with the Red Wings, following the late Milo, and both participated in campaigns to raise money for Rochester's Veterans Outreach Center and Honor Flight of Rochester. This week — which included an announcement from the Nationals on Tuesday that Bruce had worked his tail off to earn a promotion — generated plenty of buzz even before Saturday's debut. 'Social media, everything like that seems like it's seriously blown up, and we love it,' Snyder said. 'Really good publicity with our goal and our mission of bringing people together. It shows it's just doing that.'
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
31 veterans welcomed back to New Mexico after life-changing trip to Washington DC
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Thirty-one war veterans are back home in New Mexico after taking a trip to Washington, DC, to see the monuments and memorials dedicated to their bravery, courage, and sacrifice. 'This is probably the best day of my life, to be able to go on this trip,' shared Vietnam War veteran Jerome Lyndon Waat. This moment is something that Jerome Lyndon Waat, a combat medic who served in the Vietnam War, has been waiting for for years. 'I've been having trouble to go to the Vietnam. Because of the names that I might remember. I had a real hard time,' continued Lyndon Waat. On Wednesday, Lyndon Waat set out on the trip with his daughter, along with a veteran from World War 2, two from the Korean War, one from the Cold War, and 27 who served in Vietnam as part of the Honor Flight Program. The organization hosts fundraisers to be able to send veterans on the trip each year, providing them with closure and an opportunity to heal from their experiences. Lyndon Waat said the trip helped him and the 30 others to reflect and pay their respects to those they served next to. Fernando Lucero, a veteran who served in Korea, went on the flight last year, 'I was honored to be part of that very honored.' Lucero says that for him and the many veterans on that flight, the best part was coming back home to his family. 'I have my great-grandchildren over here. They all started saying, 'USA, USA,' all of them. And they said, 'We love you, Papa, we love you,' shared Lucero. Since the inception of the Honor Flight program in 2005, they have flown out more than 300,000 veterans across the country to Washington, DC. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
