Six World War II veterans, an author, Holocaust survivor and Gold Star mother from the war in Afghanistan will highlight this year’s God & Country Veterans Living History Conference on Saturday, Oct. 23 in Kingston.

The conference runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Best Western Plus at 503 Washington Ave. in Kingston. Proceeds from this year’s event, featuring veterans from World War II to today, will benefit the Hudson Valley National Center for Veteran Reintegration.

The WWII veterans expected to attend include Jack Holder, a U.S. Navy veteran who survived Pearl Harbor, fought at the Battle of Midway and is credited with sinking a Japanese submarine; Hank Kudzik, a U.S. Navy chief petty officer who also fought at Midway and Charles Brooking, a U.S. Navy veteran who saw action in the Southwest Pacific Theater on Patrol Torpedo vessels.

Also scheduled to speak are Matt Gutman, who survived several kamikaze attacks and made six landings throughout his tour of duty in the South Pacific, including Peleliu, Leyte Gulf, Mindoro, Subic Bay, Luzon and Okinawa; Bernie Ruchin, a Marine gunnery sergeant who fought on Saipan and Tinian and received a Purple Heart; and Alan Moskin, who fought with Gen. George S. Patton’s Third Army in France, Germany and Austria and helped liberate the Gunskirchen concentration camp.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet these heroes up-close, hear their stories and even ask them questions—an experience you won't get from reading a history book," said Bob Willis, the founder of the God and Country event. "Sadly, more of these men are passing each year, so this is a huge deal to bring them in from all over the country to one place."

Joshua Kaufman, a Holocaust survivor, will attend via Zoom. Kaufman survived the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp in Poland as well as the Dachau concentration camp in Germany and was liberated by American soldiers.

Also part of this year's conference are author Lew Paper, who recently released "In the Cauldron: Terror, Tension, and the American Ambassador's Struggle to Avoid Pearl Harbor" and Vietnam veterans Carey Rhodomoyer and Bob Smith, both of whom will be speaking about their experiences with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Closing out the daylong conference is Army veteran and nationally known Gold Star Mother Susan Price whose son, Marine Gunnery Sgt. Aaron Kenefick, was killed in Afghanistan.

Guest speakers will participate in a historic, recorded roundtable panel at 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 22 at the Matthewis Persen House Museum and Cultural Heritage Center on John Street in Kingston.

The cost for the conference is $25 for adults ($30 at the door), $20 for veterans ($25 at the door) and $15 for students 18 and younger.

A closing dinner will feature a salute to the speakers, music by The Mount Academy High School Choir from the Bruderhof Christian Community and soloist Andrew Hoben, a

tenor who has performed in numerous productions at The Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Christopher Begley, a critical-care specialist from Ohio, who remains on the frontlines fighting the war against the COVID-19 pandemic. He will address the audience via Zoom.

Patriotic art by acclaimed painter Raymond Simon will be on display throughout the conference. Several of his paintings will be auctioned at the evening banquet. Simon's work has been exhibited at the White House, Pentagon, Fort Knox, Fort Benning and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

Dinner, which runs from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the Best Western Plus, begins at 6 p.m. with cocktails. The cost is $45.

The package price for the conference and closing dinner is $60 for adults and $55 for veterans and students 18 and younger.

For tickets, call (845) 629-2864 or send checks payable to Veterans Honored For His Glory, P.O. Box 18, Hurley, N.Y. 12443. Direct donations are tax-deductible.

For more information, visit GodAndCountryNY.com.