Veterans welcomed home by huge Fresno crowd after 25th Central Valley Honor Flight
The veterans of the 25th Central Valley Honor Flight arrived at Fresno Yosemite International Airport right on time Wednesday evening with a water cannon salute and a welcoming party estimated to be as large as 2,000 waiting to give them a hero’s salute.
Sixty-three veterans from the Vietnam War era made the trip to visit memorials and monuments as well as the capitol in Washington, D.C., over three days, 10 years after the first Central Valley Honor Flight headed east.
Central Valley Honor Flight founder Paul Loeffler, who was on-hand as the homecoming emcee, said he believed this flight had more Purple Heart recipients than any other flight.
Loeffler said that of the memorials the veterans visited, the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial may have been the most moving.
“Many of them have friends whose names are on that Vietnam Veterans War Memorial Wall — some of them have family members that are on the wall,” he said.
Veteran Patrick Galle of Clovis, whose daughter Andrea Crow pushed his wheelchair through the giant crowd, said he couldn’t believe the number of people who cheered on the veterans at the airport.
“When I came home from Vietnam, I mean there wasn’t anyone waiting for me,” Galle said. “It restores my faith in humanity.”
Loeffler estimated the welcome party crowd as between 1,500 and 2,000 and possibly the largest ever.
He said the flight helps Valley veterans heal and talk about their experiences in war. “This welcome home tonight helps them understand that our community gets it, we know that freedom isn’t free, and those veterans deserve our gratitude,” Loeffler said.
Central Valley Honor Flight is a nonprofit 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 18, 2023 at 6:17 AM.
