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The event, billed "Ulster County World War II Conference and Banquet," runs through Saturday.
Organizers say the banquet, which begins at 6 p.m. Saturday, will honor Staff Sgt. Robert Dietz, a Kingston resident who was killed in action during World War II and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism. The Uptown Kingston stadium used by Kingston High School athletic teams bears his name, as does an Army Reserve center on Flatbush Avenue in the city.
Veterans will arrive at the Holiday Inn between 1 and 5 p.m. today. A service will be held at 7 p.m. at the Old Dutch Church on Wall Street, and organizers hope to fill the church's 800 seats.
A breakfast will be held at 7 a.m. Friday, followed by the veterans visiting local schools and the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in the Orange County town of New Windsor.
At 3:30 p.m. Friday, a motorcade of more than 300 Harley Davidson motorcycles is expected to travel from the Kingston Holiday Inn to City Hall on Broadway, where Kingston Mayor James Sottile will welcome the veterans to the city during a brief ceremony.
An informal dinner will be held at the Holiday Inn at 5 p.m. Friday, followed by a social and autograph session for ticket-holders only.
On Saturday, featured speakers will include veterans from the Easy Company 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. The company's experiences during World War II were depicted in the HBO television series "Band of Brothers," which was directed by Tom Hanks and produced by Steven Spielberg.
The Saturday seminars will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will be followed by the banquet.
