June Honor Flight takes off for World War II Memorial with Lemoore's Sandy Salyer on board

The third outing of the new Central Valley Honor Flight hub is set to take off on June 24 and return June 26. Word is that another trip is planned for the fall.

“I first heard about the program from Joe Wright, Veterans Service Officer for Kings County,” Salyer, who works as the Director of Finance for Superior Court Kings County, said.

“Joe made a presentation to our (Lemoore) Odd Fellows seeking donations. Not only did the Odd Fellows make a donation, we also attended the presentation and dinner at the WHC Golden Eagle Arena.” The event was a fundraiser for the Central Valley Honor Flight chapter.

Salyer said she immediately connected with the program and what it represents because of her experiences attending annual ship reunions with her father before he passed away in 1998. Her father served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War.

Salyer originally applied for the flight that took place in April, but because they had such an overwhelming response from the veterans’ families, they didn’t need as many volunteers.

“The sign up process to be a guardian was quite simple and is all done online,” Salyer said. “One of the key qualifications is to be able and willing to push a wheelchair and (weight of about) 180 pounds. There is talk of an age limit for guardians due the physical demands.”

One of the features of the Honor Flight program is that each veteran must be accompanied by a guardian. Due to the age of veterans, many of them don’t have a family member who can accompany them. So volunteer guardians are sought to attend to them during the trip.

According to the Honor Flight Web site, guardians play a significant role on every trip, ensuring that every veteran has a safe and memorable experience. Duties include physically assisting the veteran at the airport, during the flight and at the memorials.

While all costs for the veterans are covered by funds raised by the Honor Flight organization, guardians are responsible for all their own expenses. Salyer said the total cost for the guardian is $1,000, which covers transportation, lodging and meals.

Salyer said it wasn’t at all difficult to raise the money. “There are few people of our generation who aren’t touched by the story of these and all veterans. Everyone who donated mentioned a father, grandfather, uncle, etc., that would have liked to go.”

“I also generated a spark of interest for others to volunteer,” Salyer said. “I had a candle sale fundraiser, which netted me $100, and most of the rest came in via a post I made on Facebook. It also helped that a presentation was made for all county employees during a brown bag lunch. Odd Fellows also made a $250.00 contribution and hope to come to Fresno to greet the plane upon its return.”

Remembering her experiences attending ship reunions with her father is part of what will make this trip will be so meaningful to Salyer.

“My first trip to a ship reunion with my dad was to Nashville. He knew I loved country music and thought I would enjoy Nashville,” she said. “Well I certainly did enjoy Nashville, but what I found I enjoyed even more was being around his buddies and seeing them come to life with stories of their younger days, singing songs from the ‘40s and ‘50s, and seeing how much it meant to my dad.”

Salyer said she went on to attend 12 reunions, two of which were after her father passed away. “Each year we mourned those that we lost during the previous year and welcomed new members from the Korean and Vietnam eras. His ship, the USS Mansfield, served in three wars before being sold to South America.”

“I also have two uncles that served in World War II,” Salyer said. “One of them brought back a German war bride and one of them was actually a Prisoner of War that escaped in France and was kept in hiding by a French family. My cousin, Ron Arias, wrote a book titled ‘Moving Target’ about his father’s life.”

Getting the time off from work to take this trip wasn’t difficult, Salyer said. “My employer was very understanding and I am using my accrued vacation time. The support from the community is heart warming. When I posted on Facebook that I had been selected for the June trip, I got 78 likes and 12 very excited comments.”

According to their Web site, the “Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization created solely to honor America's veterans for all their sacrifices. They transport our heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect at their memorials.”

The Honor Flight Network consists of more than 100 independent non-profit hubs across the United States. The Central Valley chapter is currently raising funds to charter planes that will send veterans to Washington D.C. “in commemoration of their sacrifice, and in honor of their service to our country.” One hundred percent of all donations go toward funding these flights.

The Central Valley chapter was founded just over a year ago through the dedicated efforts of people like Al Perry, an Army veteran who was the former director the Veterans Administration's Central California Health Care System and Paul Loeffler, a radio and TV broadcaster from the Fresno area who also hosts and produces the Hometown Heroes radio show.

After the flight being planned for the fall, future Central Valley Honor Flights will be held off until the spring when weather in Washington DC will be more favorable for such a trip.

Salyer said she believes there are 74 veterans, at an average age of 91, taking this flight, along with a guardian for each veteran, as well as organizers and guides.

“I am looking forward to this honor,” Salyer said. “Just knowing that I am helping a veteran from this generation that has done so much for us, humbles me.”

For more information about Central Valley Honor Flights, visit the Web site at:  http://www.fresnoregfoundation.org/giving/funds/central-valley-honor-flight

or the Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/CentralValleyHonorFlight