TUNKHANNOCK -- Thousands upon thousands of people will be in Washington, D.C. this weekend to mark the inauguration of our 45th president. One student from Wyoming County will be there for the big day, and what she is about to see will be the best history lesson she can get.
Taylor Lynn is in 10th grade at Tunkhannock Area High School. This Friday, Washington, D.C. will be her classroom as she walks in the inauguration parade to honor her late uncle.
"My uncle served in war and died in 2007, and we are part of the TAPS program, which is Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors," Taylor said.
Staff Sergeant Steven Tudor graduated from Dunmore High School in 1989. He was killed in Iraq in April 2007.
Taylor and her mom have shown support for veterans for years. When Taylor was in first grade, she and her mom launched a letter writing campaign where kids including Taylor sent notes and messages to soldiers overseas.
Taylor read one of her letters to Newswatch 16 ten years ago. She talked about her uncle and said, "He was my hero, be careful, we pray for you."
Taylor and her mom also host a balloon release every year to honor fallen servicemen and women.
"It means a lot to my mom, and I know how much she cares for veterans and I'd like to do the same when I'm older, and help them out in the future with my career," Taylor said.
Although she will be missing two days of school, Taylor's teachers and classmates assure her this is a pretty good excuse.
They're excited for me. They want to hear how it is down there and how everyone is acting around the parade and how Donald Trump will be," she said.
Because this year's election was so historic, Taylor says that makes the upcoming weekend that much more interesting.
"It's just a once-in-a-lifetime thing, especially for this big of an election that happened, and I'm really excited to see what will happen in D.C.," Taylor said.
Taylor, her mom, and her best friend leave for D.C. Thursday morning. The parade is much of the day Friday and they were even invited to attend the ball Thursday night.