Bucks County Transport was honored to take part in the Bucks County Tour of Honor again this year, helping carry local veterans on Monday, October 5, 2026, as they traveled to Washington, DC and returned home to a hero’s welcome in Bensalem. BCT drivers Hank Burroughs, a veteran himself, and Jim Engle were behind the wheel for the day.
The Bucks County Tour of Honor gives veterans from the Bucks County area an all-expenses-paid day in the nation’s capital. Buses depart Parx Casino East in Bensalem early in the morning under police escort and stop at Arlington National Cemetery, the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. For many of the veterans on board, it is their first time seeing these memorials in person. The trip is free for every veteran, funded by donations and sponsors, and ends back at Parx with a Welcome Home celebration and dinner.
This year’s motorcade was escorted back into Bensalem by a Philadelphia Police helicopter and the Warriors’ Watch Riders, a volunteer group of motorcyclists, many of them veterans themselves. Bensalem Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo made the trip alongside the veterans, and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick was waiting at the doors to greet each one as they arrived home.
Around 7:00 p.m., six buses pulled up to Parx, where a crowd of roughly 300 family members, friends and well-wishers had gathered to welcome the veterans home. They stepped off to a band playing, cheers and applause, and walked a red carpet into the celebration dinner.
Director of Operations Audra Chantelau was there for the return, standing alongside driver Jim Engle as the veterans came home.“It was wonderful and moving to watch the veterans come back and be welcomed with the band playing and the crowd cheering,” Audra said. “Watching some of them step off the bus and hug their loved ones was emotional.”
Transportation is at the heart of what BCT does every day, and the Tour of Honor is a reminder of how much a ride can mean. BCT is grateful to Hank and Jim for representing the organization so well, and to the Bucks County Tour of Honor and its volunteers for making this day possible for our veterans year after year.
To learn more about the Bucks County Tour of Honor, or to apply, donate or volunteer, visit buckscountytourofhonor.org.