The event took place on Sunday at the Estonian House (Eesti Maja) in Manhattan.

Many attendees had personal memories of having to flee their homeland to initial destinations in the free world, such as Sweden and Germany.

One, Eha Kiil Brownell, told ERR: "We escaped through the forests, and were in a boat through the night. I was a five-year-old, my brother was a four-year-old, and my little brother was born once we had reached Sweden."

Eve Kubja Martinson said: "I made a joke with the president, that I was only 15 months old in September 1944, yet I remember every moment. But no. He didn't fall for it either."

"I do remember Germany well: We lived in a big house in Gensingen, filled with other children. We thought that we were living on top of the world, and we didn't realize we were in the middle of a war as our parents did the job so well of keeping tales of war away from we children," Martinson added.

In September 1944, close to 80,000 people were forced to flee Estonia for the West, in the face of the Soviet advance.

Many who reached Sweden or Germany subsequently went on to settle in North America.

One such person was Aime Andra, who said: "My mother had one friend whose daughter was married to an Estonian and who had emigrated here earlier."

This was a crucial link, as emigrating to the U.S. even as a refugee was not all straightforward.

"Back then, you had to have a sponsor who could set you up with a job and with accommodation, for at least one year," Andra went on.

"They were able to take care of that, in Connecticut. There were many small chicken farms there that actually didn't really need workers, but it provided the guarantee. And that is how our life in America began," she continued.

President Alar Karis' family was also touched by the Great Flight.

"My family, by which I mean my mother, who was 14 at the time, fled with her parents from Soviet rule," he said.

However, in this case, the way out was cut off thanks to the Soviet advance deep into Europe, including Germany.

"They reached Germany, but unfortunately got trapped there and were forced to walk almost the entire way back home," the head of state continued.

While these tens of thousands of Estonians may have stayed in the U.S. and elsewhere abroad, their hearts always belonged to Estonia.

Eha Kiil Brownell said: "I love Estonia so much; every year I always want to go. I thought at one point that maybe I would go back to Estonia to live, but I haven't done it yet. Estonia is surely my homeland."

The official 80th anniversary of the Great Flight was last Thursday, September 19.

The president is on an official visit to New York this week, to attend a UN General Assembly meeting.

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