Central Valley honor flight veterans visit U.S. Capitol during Washington trip

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KFSN) -- A crisp but sunny April greeting greeted veterans of the 34th Central Valley Honor Flight arsenic they entered the World War II Memorial connected the National Mall, drafting cheers of "Go Fresno," "That's right, invited to Washington!" and "Thank you for your service, Sir!"

The sojourn was picture-perfect for the 69 veterans and guardians taking portion successful the Honor Flight.

Unlike earlier flights much than a decennary agone that included galore World War II veterans, this travel featured conscionable 1 from that era: 100-year-old Norris Jernigan of Visalia.

"It's an awesome exhibit. It's truly a large tribute to us. So galore of america served successful WW2... a large tribute to... you cognize what we did," Jernigan said. "We were conscionable kids. We answered the telephone and I'm arrogant of what we did."

Jernigan served successful the Army Air Corps arsenic an quality clerk and is the lone surviving subordinate of the weaponry squadron that supported the B-29 unit flying the Enola Gay, the craft that dropped the archetypal atomic weaponry implicit Japan.

"Well it represents a large ngo that was pulled disconnected successful the precise highest of secrecy and to beryllium portion of that is conscionable awesome," helium said.

The Enola Gay's imperishable location is present the National Air and Space Museum adjacent Dulles International Airport.

When the Honor Flight arrived determination Tuesday, an Air Force wide and a Space Force wide greeted the veterans and presented Jernigan with commemorative gifts recognizing his work and his relation successful helping to alteration the people of the war.

Under the monolithic shadiness of the Enola Gay, Honor Flight veterans gathered to perceive arsenic Jernigan shared his story, 1 that changed the satellite and continues to measurement connected him decades later.

"It's existent that it killed a batch of radical and took a batch of lives," Jernigan said, "but it saved thousands, possibly millions much lives than it took due to the fact that the adjacent measurement was the penetration of the Japanese homeland scheduled for November 1."

The sojourn underscored some the humanities value of the craft and the lasting interaction of the work performed by those who supported its mission, arsenic chap veterans looked connected successful respect and reflection.

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