Valley Vietnam Veterans return home from the Honor Flight

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Dozens of Valley Veterans returned to Fresno on Wednesday after taking part in the 25th Central Valley Honor Flight, a three-day trip to Washington D.C.

Friends, family, strangers, active military members, and fellow veterans waved American flags greeting the 63 Valley Vets of this honor flight.

"When I came home from Vietnam there wasn't no greeting like we got now. This was my welcome home, this right here," said Larry Couto, a Vietnam War Veteran.

Lots of emotions filled the eyes of every Veteran returning.

They visited monuments for the Navy and Air Force and the Iwo Jima monument.

But the Vietnam War Memorial, with the names of every fallen soldier, hit close to home.

"I salute for the 58,479 men that did not come home because I had a family, I got to live a life they didn't," said Couto.

In another significant moment, some of the men had the honor of placing a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier, including Ricardo Lugo.

"My knees were trembling, tears coming down, and excitement because I never thought I would be picked. I thank God, I thank God," said Lugo.

All of this is made possible by donations, and with two more flights planned this year, organizers are grateful for every dollar they get.

"We've got an ambitious schedule, the pandemic knocked us out for a couple years and we couldn't fly. We have to catch up. We're planning four flights this year, this is our second, and fourth one isn't paid for yet so we're going to need to find some more support and I know it's going to show up," said Paul Loeffler, President of the Central Valley Honor Flight.

You can find out more about the Honor Flight here.

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