The Lansford American Legion Riders recently hosted a free bus trip for veterans in Carbon and Schuylkill counties to New York City.

During the day-long excursion, 75 veterans from all branches of the military were treated to a visit to the USS Intrepid; as well as a trip to Battery Park and Ground Zero.Jim Wentworth, president of the Lansford American Legion Riders, said the group got to see a lot of things and reminisce about their days in the military.At the USS Intrepid museum, everyone had the opportunity to explore the museum and ship, the USS Growler submarine, a Concord Jet and other military aircrafts.After the museum, the buses took the veterans to Battery Park, where they saw the Statue of Liberty and the Freedom Glob that was in front of the World Trade Center."It was a great day out and the veterans enjoyed themselves," Wentworth said, adding that the Legion Riders photographer, Chrissy Yaworski, documented the day with photographs.The Lansford American Legion Riders planned the free trip as a thank you to the veterans of the area.The American Legion Riders is a national program of the American Legion. The program was officially started in 1993 by Post 396 in Garden City, Mich., and was deemed a national program in 2007. Since then chapters across the United States have been started to help honor the veterans who bravely served the country, as well as help members of the community in times of need.The Lansford American Legion Riders are part of American Legion Post 123 and continually work with the community to help veterans and their families.