Central Valley Honor Flight receives $10,000 from local tea party group

The Central Valley Tea Party presented the Central Valley Honor Flight with a $10,000 donation Thursday, providing a boost to fundraising efforts for the next Honor Flight this fall.

Central Valley Honor Flight relies on donations to accomplish its mission of bringing World War II and Korean War veterans to the nation’s capital to see the monuments erected in their honor.

“We’ve always supported Honor Flight, but this is the first time we’ve been involved directly,” Fresno City Council Member Steve Brandau, coordinator for the Central Valley Tea Party, said before the presentation at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District. “I think it’s a way for us to show our appreciation, for me personally and for the Tea Party and the patriots involved in the Tea Party.”

The Central Valley Tea Party raised the $10,000 during its Fun Celebration of Liberty event on May 29, which included a silent auction, dinner, dancing and a performance by the Whiskey River Band.

“We’re entirely non-political, but we gratefully accept donations from anyone,” said Al Perry, president of Central Valley Honor Flight. “Every little bit matters, from a $5 donation all the way up to the $10,000 we received today.”

According to Perry, the cost of the next flight, departing Oct. 19 from Castle Airport in Atwater, will be $177,000. The flight will be the organization’s eighth since forming in 2013. It costs roughly $1,500 for each veteran who goes on the trip, so Thursday’s donation will help nearly seven veterans make it to Washington D.C. The experience, once there, can be quite moving.

“The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was an amazing display,” said Ed Bates, who served as a naval intelligence officer and code breaker with OP-20-G during World War II and went on Central Valley Honor Flight’s seventh mission in June. “My wife and I used to walk the path past there every day. She died 14 years ago. When I went back, she was with me in spirit.”

For Brandau, helping America’s veterans to see their memorials is a duty that exists outside of politics.

“I think the honoring of our veterans is something that spans party lines and philosophical lines,” he said.

It is a sentiment echoed by Perry.

“I hope other organizations, political or not, will follow in their (Central Valley Tea Party’s) lead,” said Perry.

This story was originally published July 9, 2015 at 2:12 PM with the headline "Central Valley Honor Flight receives $10,000 from local tea party group."