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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Tuesday is simply a time veterans connected the Central Valley Honor Flight volition ne'er forget.
Day 2 of the travel was packed with almighty moments, including a peculiar circuit of our nation’s Capitol, respective memorials, and adjacent a gathering with the Speaker of the House.
It was each state and nary brakes arsenic the Central Valley Honor Flight received a no-stop constabulary escort to the nation’s Capitol.
Sixty-seven Central Valley veterans and their guardians toured the U.S. Capitol, adjacent getting the uncommon accidental to basal connected the House floor.
In bid to beryllium allowed connected the House floor, you indispensable beryllium escorted by a congressman. Representative Vince Fong flew successful aboriginal this greeting to springiness these heroes a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“For me, idiosyncratic who had been a guardian for Honor Flight, I got connected a level yesterday and landed astatine midnight. It’s the slightest we could bash for our veterans,” said Fong.
While Fong was speaking to veterans connected the House floor, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson walked in.
As the Speaker near the House chambers, seasoned Greg Belemjian was determination to shingle his hand.
“You spot it connected TV each the time, but you ne'er deliberation you're going to spot it successful existent life. It is an acquisition I volition instrumentality to my grave,” said Belemijian.
And that was conscionable the commencement of the day’s journey.
After the Capitol, the radical made stops astatine the Navy, Marine, and World War II memorials. Each sojourn a almighty reminder of their work and sacrifice.
Navy Veteran Danny Noe, who was connected the USS Enterprise erstwhile a rocket accidentally exploded, is present reasoning astir his 2 friends who did not survive.
“It’s heartening, but I'm here. That’s the bully thing, I guess, and unfortunately, they didn’t marque it. They were doing what they did to support everyone, and I conscionable happened to get retired alive,” said Noe.
At the World War II Memorial, Leonard Kizirian paused to retrieve his father, who helped liberate the Dachau attraction campy successful Nazi Germany. He says his begetter inspired him to unpaid to service for 3 years successful Vietnam.
“I didn’t request idiosyncratic to archer maine I had to serve. I wanted to serve,” said Kizirian.
On Wednesday, you tin spell to Fresno Airport to beryllium a portion of the invited location procession for your Central Valley heroes.
