Hundreds of York County area veterans travel to the United States Naval Academy as part of an annual trip to historic military spots.

YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Thousands of veterans have visited historic military spots across the country for free thanks to the collaborative efforts of Bailey Coach and local veteran groups.

This year, more than 400 veterans visited the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

“Today we are going to have about 450 veterans from the York County area come together and meet here at York Fairgrounds before heading down to Annapolis, Maryland for a bus trip,” said Courtney Piccolo, president of Bailey Coach.

It’s the eighth year of the event.

“We had the idea to put together a trip that would give back to our veterans, take them somewhere meaningful to them like some military location, and offer that trip to them for free,” Piccolo said. “We work with all of our local veteran organizations, and they work with all of their members to be able to offer the trip so that we are able to fill the buses and provide a great day for our veterans at no cost.”

Before departing from York Fairgrounds, veterans gathered in Memorial Hall for a continental breakfast.

Veterans from several foreign wars were present, including from the Vietnam War, the Korean War, and from World War II.

“I never heard much about the Navy where I was, but I think I’m going to learn more today than I have ever known about the Navy… I served three years in the army air corps, 39 combat missions, and I’m back, I’m one of the few that came back of our group,” recalled Quentin Stambaugh.

Stambaugh served in the Second World War and is 101 years old.

He was joined by his biographer, Tara Wenzel and her husband.

Organizers say the event is sentimental for some vets.

“I know it means so much and with this being our eighth year we have gotten so much feedback thanking us and the veteran organizations who help put together this trip, because it is not something that would be able to do on their own,” Piccolo said.

Veterans like Stambaugh are scheduled to return to the fairgrounds around 5:30 p.m., and people are encouraged to welcome them back.

“We welcome all the veterans back with a 10-minute party, we line the street of the gate, we wave flags, we provide the flags because it’s a free event so just show up,” Piccolo said.