On October 5th 2024 North Country Honor Flight’s #58 and #59 carried 48 United States Military Veterans and their escorts from throughout the North Country from Plattsburgh to Washington DC.

Flight #58 carried one of SLVFD’s own members. Edmund J. Woodard, who is a 47 Year member, a 2016 recipient of the Northern NY Volunteer firefighters Association “Firefighter of the Year” award and a past Chief. Ed served as the Chief of the SLVFD for seven terms. 1991,1992 and 1998 through 2002. Ed’s son Chris served as his escort.

Right after High School, Ed enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on July 26, 1965. He graduated from Paris Island on November 10, 1965. Ed then received training as a Basic Helicopter Mechanic at New River South Carolina. Ed then spent 3 months serving in the Caribbean Sea aboard the USS Okinawa LPH-3 prior to being deployed to Viet Nam. Ed served in Viet Nam from December of 1966 until January of 1968. While there Ed flew on over 140 combat missions as a Crew Chief/Door Gunner aboard UH 34D Helicopters.

During his deployment his tent area routinely received incoming mortar fire, and on at least one occasion narrowly missed Ed’s Tent. Ed’s medals and citations include 7 Air Medals, Combat Air Crewman’s Wings with 3 stars, the National Defense Service Medal, The Vietnamese Service Medal, the Vietnamese Campaign Medal, The Good Conduct Medal, a Presidential Unit Citation, and a Combat Action Ribbon. Ed also received the Sikorsky Winged “S” for a lifesaving mission while flying in a Sikorsky helicopter.

It was the SLVFD’s great privilege to be able to participate in Ed’s honor flight escort to Plattsburgh on October 4th, where Ed and his son Chris spent the night in a hotel with other travelling veterans in preparation of an early morning departure the next day. During this escort 2 other Saranac Lake veterans were also honored. Marine Corps veteran Michael Foley and Air Force veteran Phil Newton were also escorted from Saranac Lake to Plattsburgh.

On October 5th at 4:00am as most people were sleeping, 7 SLVFD members travelled to Plattsburgh, and linked up with a huge contingent that included an estimated 240 motorcycles, side by sides, spiders, and dozens of fire trucks, police vehicles, ambulances, and even some lineman trucks to escort the 48 veterans from the Champlain Centre Mall parking lot, to the US Oval for a ceremony attended by a huge crowd.

The ceremony included dignitary speeches, military honors, presentations by a school choir and a country singer providing patriotic music, and a reading of each of the 48 veterans military biographies.

The full escort then continued accompanied by a Division of Homeland Security helicopter from the US Oval to the Plattsburgh International Airport where two airplanes awaited that would carry the veterans of flights #58 and #59 to Washington DC.

In Washington DC a special day of receiving recognition and visiting memorial sights including the Vietnam Memorial Wall was planned. The day was a whirlwind and the veterans arrived back in Plattsburgh the same evening.

As we honor the service of our veterans we would like to thank all of the organizers and participants of this huge effort who provide this service in a manner that is truly first class.

It is hard to describe the sights, sounds, and pure energy as a two hundred and forty plus revving motorcycles nicknamed “Thunder in the Burgh”, accompanied by dozens of first responder vehicles with lights and sirens blaring, complete with helicopter escort roll through the city at dawn to honor these veterans.

To all veterans including the 48 honored on flights #58 and #59 and our own Ed Woodard, please know that we honor your service and we salute you. Thank You for serving our great country!