PHOTOS: Seven Rye Veterans Participate in Honor Flight to DC

By Brian Dempsey, volunteer member of Sons of the American Legion

In honor of their service to the USA, seven veterans from the City of Rye, including a member from Rye American Legion Post 128, flew from Westchester County Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington D.C. to visit various memorials the week after Memorial Day on Saturday, May 31, 2025 through a program called the Honor Flight. The majority of the Rye veterans on the flight had served during the Vietnam War, while the oldest, now 91, served in Europe in the 1950’s during the Cold War.

This was “Mission 36” for the Hudson Valley Honor Flight. Various Rye residents have flown on earlier “mission” flights, but this was the first time that seven veterans from Rye flew together. Each veteran travels with a guardian, who are required to attend a training session and pay a fee to help cover the cost of the flight. Some of the Rye veterans had their children, grandchildren or other family members while others utilized guardians provided through the Hudson Valley Honor Flight. The Rye veterans on Mission 36 were:

• Frank Berté, US Army – whose guardian was his grandson Jeff Dempsey (Jeff previously was a guardian on Mission 10 in 2015 for his other grandfather, Ed Dempsey, a World War II vet);
• Jerry McGuire, US Air Force – yes, that Jerry from Jerry’s Post Road Market, whose guardian was his grandson Thomas McGuire;
• Harold “Sonny” Slater, US Navy – whose guardian was his grandson Brendan Hickey;
• James “Jimmy” Dianni, US Army – a long-time officer in the Rye Fire Department whose guardian was an Honor Flight Volunteer;
• Arcadio Ocasio, US Marine Corps – an employee of the Rye Department of Public Works as well as a volunteer member of the Rye Fire Department, whose guardian was his son Arcadio Ocasio II;
• Francis “Jay” Riordan, US Army – whose guardian was his son Michael Riordan; and
• Thomas “Tom” Battista, US Air Force – whose guardian was an Honor Flight Volunteer.

The National Honor Flight Network is a nonprofit “national organization that transports American Veterans to Washington, D.C. to honor and celebrate them for their service and sacrifices” for our country. The veterans visit the various memorials at no cost to them. There are 128 Honor Flight hubs across the country, with the local hub being the Hudson Valley Honor Flight. Together, they have flown more than 320,000 veterans since 2005, including over 21,000 last year, while there is a waitlist of almost 50,000. It was initially established with World War II veterans but has been expanded to include Korean War, Cold War and Vietnam Veterans. The Hudson Valley Honor Flight flies four trips per year, two from Westchester County Airport and two from Stewart Airport. While they run various fundraisers throughout the year, the Hudson Valley hub is dependent upon various sponsors, with the branch’s biggest sponsor being ShopRite.

The overwhelming majority of the veterans were escorted using wheelchairs provided by the Honor Flight pushed by their guardians due to the amount of walking and the terrain, even if they do not use wheelchairs back home in Rye.

The 65 veterans on the flight were from all over the tri-state area and served in various wars, from World War II to Vietnam. The oldest veteran on the flight was 98 years old. The day started by meeting at ShopRite in Elmsford at 5:30 AM in the pouring rain.  ShopRite provided breakfast to the veterans, guardians and volunteers. They then boarded four coach buses lead by a motorcycle and fire engine escort to Westchester County Airport. They were saluted along the way by various Fire Departments and Police Departments as well as others, including the Elmsford Fire Department displaying a large American flag as the buses entered onto I-287. A large crowd then welcomed the veterans at the send-off reception.  Various politicians were part of the crowd including Rye’s George Latimer of the US House of Representatives and Catherine Parker of the County Legislature along with new County Executive Ken Jenkins, among others. The R. C. Ketcham High School Band play each service branch’s theme song as the veterans would stand for their particular branch.  The rain stopped and a rainbow appeared over the airplane as the veterans boarded. Another light breakfast was provided on the plane as they made the short flight to Washington.

While in the D.C., the veterans and their guardians visited the US Marine Corps War Memorial and then the Arlington National Cemetery where they were given upfront seating to observe the Changing of the Guard as well as the Changing of the Wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The veterans then arrived at the National Mall to see the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the World War II Memorial. At these, the veterans were extremely touched when they saw the names etched on the monuments of relatives, friends, and members of their former squads. In between, the veterans received lunch and before the flight back, a dinner reception was held. Besides the other veterans from Rye, they were able to see other veterans from the area who they had lost touch with and meet others that had similar experiences during the war.

At each of the stops, Honor Flight volunteers and people from the general public greeted the veterans, thanking them for their service and giving them their well-earned applause and cheers. This was especially important to the Vietnam veterans, many of whom did not receive that type of welcome when they returned home from the war. Most of the Rye veterans had never been to the memorials.  While there, they came across six different Honor Flight groups from as far as California and various other states across the country.

On the flight back, an Honor Flight tradition called “Mail Call” occurs where people from all over, known and unknown to the veterans, write cards and letters to express their gratitude. Midland School teacher Katharine Sweeney’s third grade class provided numerous letters to some of the veterans whom Katharine has known for a long time, which were much appreciated. The veterans were then greeted by the large and loud reception at the County Airport, for one final “Welcome Home.”

Other veterans from Rye have already signed up for the next flight which will be in the fall. More are welcomed to apply [Applications can be made through Hudson Valley Honor Flight].