Central Valley Honor Flight takes off for D.C.
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Valley veterans got a heroes departure Monday morning for the 16th Central Valley Honor Flight. 67 veterans, most of which were from the World War II era, made the trip two Washington D.C. to visit memorials honoring their service.
For some veterans, this is a first, like World War II vet Hervey "chic" brooks. In the service, Brooks' ship along with six others was destroyed by enemy forces in Okinawa, Japan. He floated in the ocean for about an hour, before he was rescued by someone he would never have expected.
"Somebody on that boat hollered at me, "Brooks, what in the hell are you doing in that water!" and it was a kid I had gone to school with back in Winsor, Missouri three years before," said Brooks.
Brooks now gets to honor his friends and heroes who were not as fortunate.
"I was sorry for the 16 people we lost aboard that ship that I was on, and I felt very fortunate that I was not one of them," he said.
Others are looking forward to visiting places they have never seen before.
"I have been there and I have seen the World War 2 monument, but I have never seen the Vietnam or Korean," said World War II Veteran Dale Blackburn.
Dwight "Dutch" Dutcher served in the Korean War, he is looking forward to visiting the memorial dedicated to him.
"We just had 46-night missions in North Korea and they were all pretty interesting," said Dutcher.
The honor flight makes its way back to Fresno on Wednesday at six. People are encouraged to come out and welcome our heroes back home.
