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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Central Valley Honor Flight fig 31 took disconnected from Fresno Monday morning.
This travel is escorting 68 veterans from the Korean, Vietnam and Cold Wars. Their years of work collectively span from 1950 to 2003. Each of them volition spot the nation’s superior for the precise archetypal time.
“I’ve been acceptable to spell since I signed maine up,” Vietnam Navy Veteran Andy Wright said.
Veterans and their guardians arrived astatine the Fresno Yosemite International Airport aboriginal Monday morning, proudly matching successful their reddish Honor Flight hats and jackets.
They each served to support the nation, yet ne'er saw the memorials and monuments successful their honor.
“Seeing each the memorials volition beryllium bully – and seeing the president’s digs too,” Wright said.
The three-day circuit volition escort them done galore of the large Washington D.C. memorials, arsenic good arsenic the U.S. Capitol.
Before they were connected their way, the travel leaders took a infinitesimal to grant those successful attendance and commune implicit the trip.
The send-off ceremonial featured a drawstring quartet, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star Spangled Banner and a peculiar supplication written by 1 of the attending veterans.
Once connected the plane, different seasoned shared a supplication helium wrote. It said successful part, “These guardians of state person paid a terms of immoderate kind. Please fto them instrumentality with immoderate bid of mind.”
The full level rang retired with an “Amen,” and past the craft began to rotation guardant connected the tarmac.
Suddenly, veterans heard the dependable of rain. The Fresno County Fire Department honored them with a ablution salute close earlier takeoff.
“I ne'er realized however large an cognition this Honor Flight was,” Cold War Navy Veteran Tony Tesoriere said.
Teroriere served arsenic a Navy craft mechanic during the Cold War. He says his battles were unique.
“Not being a combat veteran, sometimes I don't truly feel, you cognize – I ne'er had to dodge bullets. So that’s the quality to me. There's a difference. Those guys each person my existent respect,” Tesoriere said.
He ne'er took a bullet. Instead, helium sacrificed done 18-hour days and unsafe moving conditions.
“OSHA would person fits if they ever saw the moving conditions connected an craft carrier,” Tesoriere laughed.
He looks backmost connected those days fondly, and now, helium and 67 of his brothers are embarking connected a travel to revisit the past.
Each has a unsocial story, but the aforesaid badge of honor: they sacrificed for the state they love.
