Vietnam War veteran Art Flynn traveled to Washington, D.C. on April 11 as part of the Hudson Valley Honor Flight’s Mission 38, joining 83 veterans—alongside his daughter, Tamitha Brown, who served as his guardian—for a daylong visit to the nation’s war memorials and a long-overdue welcome home. The trip, organized by Hudson Valley Honor Flight, brought together veterans from across the region for a coordinated experience recognizing their service.

Flynn, who served in the U.S. Navy beginning in 1966, completed three tours during the Vietnam War aboard the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, operating in the Gulf of Tonkin. His early duties placed him in the ship’s boiler rooms, where conditions were physically punishing and unrelenting.

Temperatures in the space could reach as high as 160 degrees, he said, as crews maintained the steam-powered systems that kept the carrier moving and its aircraft launching.

“The heat was tremendous,” Flynn said.

Sweat soaked through clothing almost immediately. Even basic routines offered little relief. After showering, Flynn said, there was “no sense of drying off,” as the surrounding air in the sleeping compartments remained stifling.

“You’d lay in your bunk and the sweat off your forehead would drain into your ears,” he said, describing nights spent trying to rest in what felt like a sauna.

At times, sailors slept with towels over their heads just to absorb the constant sweat.

Despite the conditions, the work was essential. The ship depended on its boilers to generate the steam needed for propulsion and to operate the catapult systems used to launch aircraft. 

Flynn later transitioned into a repair and monitoring role on the ship’s island, where he ensured smoke from the boilers did not interfere with flight operations—a responsibility that required constant coordination with crews below deck.

Communication from home came only through letters—often delayed, unpredictable, and deeply valued when they arrived.

Flynn said his wife, Sandra Flynn, wrote to him every day while he was deployed, numbering each letter so he could read them in order when they eventually reached him.

“That was the only contact you had,” Flynn said.

Mail could take weeks to arrive, sometimes showing up all at once in stacks. From his position on the ship’s island, Flynn said he was often the first to spot incoming aircraft—including those carrying letters from home.

“I would be able to tell the boiler rooms, ‘mail plane’s coming in,’” he said.

The call spread quickly through the ship, lifting morale for the sailors working below deck in the intense heat.

“That was your uplift,” Flynn said.

It wasn’t all bad, however. As Flynn noted, like many sailors, time spent in port offered a break from the demands of life at sea. He recalled visits to cities around the world, including Hong Kong and Tokyo, which stood out among his favorites.

Flynn also pointed to a stop in Rio de Janeiro, where he saw the towering Christ the Redeemer statue in person—an experience he said stayed with him long after his service ended.

While Flynn said he took pride in his service, the return home was far different from the reception veterans receive today.

“There was no welcome home,” he said, recalling how many Vietnam veterans avoided wearing their uniforms upon returning to the United States. “You couldn’t come back and feel proud… people didn’t want anything to do with you.”

That absence of recognition stayed with many veterans for decades.

A day of recognition 

decades in the making

That experience stood in stark contrast to April 11.

Flynn described the Honor Flight as overwhelming from the moment it began. Veterans gathered before sunrise at ShopRite in Montgomery, checking in around 5:45 a.m. before departing in a convoy for Stewart Airport. By 6:45 a.m., they had arrived for a formal send-off ceremony.

Large crowds lined the route and the airport, with fire departments, police agencies, and more than 100 motorcycles from Rolling Thunder escorting the group.

“The amount of people there to see us off… it was just unbelievable,” Flynn said.

The group departed Stewart Airport at 9 a.m. on a charter flight, arriving in Washington, D.C., by 10 a.m., where a full day of visits followed.

Flynn and the other veterans were transported to the Marine Corps War Memorial, whose statue is based on the iconic World War II image of the flag raising at Iwo Jima, before continuing on to the Lincoln Memorial and the Korean and Vietnam Veterans memorials.

At the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Flynn said he located the names of individuals he personally knew, including Allan Milk, a Long Eddy native killed in action during the war. Milk’s name appears on the wall, and a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Long Eddy is named in his honor.

“The Vietnam Wall meant a lot to us. Very emotional,” Flynn said.

The schedule continued through the afternoon with a visit to the World War II Memorial and a stop at Arlington National Cemetery, where the group witnessed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Throughout the day,      Flynn said volunteers ensured every veteran was cared for, providing transportation, meals, and assistance at each stop. He made the trip alongside his daughter, Tamitha Brown, who served as his designated guardian, assisting him as they moved between memorials.

One of the most meaningful moments came during the return flight, when organizers surprised the veterans with what they called “mail call.”

“They handed us a big envelope full of letters,” Flynn said.

Inside were messages from strangers, families, and schoolchildren—many expressing gratitude for their service. 

Flynn received more than 130 letters.

Among them were drawings from young children thanking him for keeping them safe, which Flynn said stood out in a deeply personal way. He said he would cherish those drawings just as much as those created by his own daughter.

The gesture echoed the importance of mail during his time in service, bringing the experience full circle decades later.

The day concluded with a return flight departing Washington at 8 p.m. and arriving back at Stewart Airport around 9 p.m., where hundreds gathered late into the night to greet the veterans.

“You were finally, after all these years, welcomed home,” Flynn said.

A ‘trip of a lifetime’

Though the trip lasted just one day, Flynn said its impact will last far longer.

“The biggest thing is feeling so supported… the overwhelming love they showed us,” he said.

He encouraged other veterans to consider applying for a future Honor Flight, calling the experience something every veteran deserves.

“It’s a one-day trip, but it’s an experience of a lifetime,” Flynn said.