As Honor Flight participant Bill Hurrle walked down a hallway in Bradford Area High School Friday, he held his head even higher when one of the hundreds of students and staff lining the hall while applauding and waving American flags yelled, “Hi Grandpa” in his direction.

Hurrle, a Korean War Air Force veteran, and two other veterans from that war, James Dushaw and Dave Steinhauser, flew to Washington, D.C., today to see war memorials following Friday’s luncheon and parade at the high school. The Honor Flight veterans and their relatives also received a police escort past cheering students on Interstate Parkway and campuses in the community until they reached the New York state line where they continued on to Buffalo, N.Y. They spent the night in Buffalo before catching a flight to Washington early today where they will tour memorial sites. The group will fly back to Buffalo late today.

Honor Flights, which have been organized by the Bradford Area School District the past three or four years, recruit local veterans for the program. The school district also sponsors the luncheons and provides other amenities for the veterans.

The Honor Flight Network, a nonprofit organization, was created to honor America’s veterans for their sacrifices by transporting them to Washington to visit war memorials free of charge.

Local organizers of the Buffalo Niagara Honor Flight provide transportation for the veterans, who are accompanied by medical personnel during the event. Area veterans from the World War II, Korean and Vietnam eras, along with their relatives or guardians, have participated in the events. Veterans can hail from McKean, Potter and nearby counties, as well as communities in New York state.

Dushaw, a resident of the Bradford area, was accompanied by his son, Joe Dushaw, a resident of Portville, N.Y.

“I had a cousin who was killed in the Korean War and also my next door neighbor, a kid I grew up, with was killed,” Dushaw said, adding he was pleased that he will see the Korean War memorial in the nation’s capital.

His son said he was happy to accompany his dad to Washington.

“I think it’s awesome that we can recognize the vets and what they’ve done,” Joe Dushaw said.

Steinhauser, a native of Custer City near Bradford, now lives in the Warren area. He was accompanied to the event by his son, Cris, a Desert Storm veteran.

“I’m very excited about going” to Washington, Steinhauser said. “I had heard about this from other people and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Hurrle, a resident of Bradford, said he had wanted to participate in the last Honor Flight, but illness prevented him. He was accompanied by his grandson, Darren Hilmes of Bradford.

High school history teacher, Andy Carlson, helped organize the events and served as spokesman for the luncheon which began with the singing of the national anthem by student Gretchen Henneman. He then introduced student Truman Forbes, a member of the school’s History Club, who addressed the veterans.  

“We are so honored to meet you on the day before your send-off,” Forbes said before thanking the veterans for their service. “Without you, there might not be a United States of America.”

Forbes said his own grandfather, a Navy veteran of World War II, had visited the WW II National Memorial in Washington through Honor Flight.

“He said it was one of the best experiences in his life,” Forbes said of his grandfather.

Nancy Fire, one of the original organizers of the event in Bradford, said she believes the program is “Important, whether it’s one or 101” veterans who participate.

“I think it’s the send-off they deserve,” Fire commented. “The ball is being carried by (Superintendent Katharine Pude) and the students, who deserve all the credit.”

Pude said the program encourages other school districts, including those in nearby counties such as Warren as well as in New York state, to join in on the event with veterans from their communities.

Along those lines, an administrator from the Warren County School District, Misty Weber, was at the luncheon and said she hopes to organize Honor Flights for veterans from that area.

Fire said they expect to make plans for an Honor Flight in the spring, therefore all interested veterans should contact her at 362-2482 or Pude at the school district at 362-3841 if they’re interested in participating.