Veterans from Fresno area leave on first Honor Flight to Washington in two years
A Central Valley Honor Flight plane left Fresno on Monday for the first time since the trips were disrupted by the pandemic two years ago.
The last Honor Flight scheduled for April 2020 was canceled about the same time the reaction to COVID-19 shutdown many events that would bring groups together.
The plane that left Monday was full of 63 veterans who have waited two years for the 21st Honor Flight to Washington DC, where they will visit monuments to those who served.
Sam Gonzales, an Army veteran from Modesto, said he was stationed in Germany during the Korean War. He said he was happy to be on the flight.
“I’m excited. I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I’m glad to meet a lot of these gentlemen who served and all that, and hope to make a lot of friends.”
He said he’ll be looking for his cousin’s name on the memorial wall, saying the cousin died when the tank he was in took a direct hit. “He was only 19 years old,” Gonzales said.
The events are filled with fanfare as many gather, wave flags and cheer for the veterans as they proceed through the Fresno Yosemite International Airport lobby on their way to the plane.
A similar scene is expected to receive the veterans as they return to Fresno in three days. They return about 6 p.m. Wednesday, and organizers ask residents to consider being there as part of a welcoming party, according to Bill Goodreau, a trip leader.
“Please welcome our veterans home,” he said.
The organizers also scheduled events at the former Castle Air Force Base in Atwater in Merced County.
Central Valley Honor Flight is a non-profit organization that funds the flights at no cost to the veterans thanks to donations from the community and businesses.
This story was originally published May 16, 2022 at 10:18 AM.
