Local veterans and Guardians experience the trip of a lifetime as part of Central Valley Honor Flight program

In addition to Salas, there were a number of Lemoore and Hanford veterans on this latest excursion to see the Memorial.

Salas' chaperone, or guardian for the trip was Lemoore’s Sandy Salyer. Early Tuesday morning the two of them hopped an Allegiant Airliner out of Fresno and jetted off to Washington D.C. where they not only viewed the World War II Memorial but took in the Marine Corps Monument, Arlington National Cemetery and a host of other popular Washington sites..

The thing is they were hardly alone on this special trip. They departed Yosemite International Airport with 66 other couples, all of whom were bound for a date with the World War II Memorial. You see half the 67 couples are World War II veterans, all in their 80s and 90s, and all of whom have yet to gaze upon the Memorial built especially for them.

Tuesday’s Central Valley Honor Flight, as it is known, is the third such flight to depart Fresno with a bunch of aging veterans. Another trip is planned for the fall. When Salyer heard about the program through a friend, she immediately contacted the organizers and signed up to act as a “Guardian,” someone who assists a veteran during the three-day stay in Washington.

Salyer was teamed with the 88-year-old Salas, who looks anything but his age. The two met a couple of weeks ago and immediately hit it off. Salyer spent the three days with Salas and accompanied him on a tour of Washington that not only includes the World War II Memorial, but also other sites as well, including the Vietnam Veterans and Korean War memorials. They’ll also visit Arlington National Cemetery and visit the Tomb of the Unknown Solider as well as take in the U.S. Marine Corps Iwo Jima Monument.

“I think this is a form of recognition that I have never seen before and, even when I first got home; I got off a bus and walked home and that was it,” said Salas as he waited for the flight to take off early Tuesday. “It’s great feeling to be recognized and being acknowledged for something you did.”

Salas, who was born and raised in Hanford, served in the Navy four years, spending much of his tour in the South Pacific. “Our mission was to secure and establish a secure anchorage for the Leyte invasion fleet,” he said.

Salas’ last 15 years of employment before retirement was with the City of Fresno. He has been married to his wife Elsie for 68 years and they have three children.

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 war.

“I’m honored, I’m privileged and I’m excited to see John and meet the rest of his family,” said Salyer, who has developed a bond with her new friend Salas. “I feel responsible for him the next three days. My number one concern is to make this memorable for him and to keep him safe and to be there when he needs me.”

Salyer said when she learned of this program it reminded her of the time she spent with her own father, a Navy veteran, at many of his reunions. “When I first learned of the program and saw the presentation, it really reminded me of the times I spent with my father with his reunions and visiting with the veterans and seeing how important it was for them to reconnect with their fellow servicemen, hear them tell their stories, and I wanted to do this to honor and remember my father.”

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.

Guardians like Sandy Salyer 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 was relatively easy to raise the money. She had some minor fundraisers and friends donated to the trip as did clubs like the Lemoore Odd Fellows.

Salyer wasn’t the only local person to board that plane Tuesday morning. There were several guardians and veterans from Hanford who made the trip. Former Hanford Mayor David Ayres served as the Guardian for his father-in-law, Francis Rynda, 89, who flew as a crewmember on a C-47 transport plane during the war in Europe. He served an important role in the invasion of Normandy on D-Day with the Ninth Air Force.

Hanford’s Rod Ritchie also made the flight to Washington. The longtime Hanford Rotarian and a frequent visitor to Lemoore, was in the Army Air Corps during World War II.

Ritchie, who will turn 90 on July 7, has indeed traveled the world, having visited 247 countries and seven continents in his lifetime. “I’m hoping to visit a couple of more before I leave this earth and hit the sod,” he joked.

He’s been to Washington D.C. many times during his lifetime but never to see the World War II Memorial. His guardian for the trip was Greg Garzka who works for Kings County.

“I’ve been to Washington D.C. many times, but I haven’t been since they built the monument to World War II,” he said.

Visiting the Memorial holds special meaning for Ritchie. His brother Robert, a pilot with the 12th Air Force, was shot down over Italy and killed during the war.

Another Hanford man, Mike Simas, is serving as a guardian for Fresno’s Victor Smith, another World War II veteran. “I had several uncles who served in World War II and they have since passed on,” said Simas. “I was aware of their service and what they did and I felt that it was important to give every World War II veteran a chance to go see the World War II Veterans Memorial.”

Smith, 88, was a radar technician in the Navy during his two-year stint in war. He served most of his time on the Island of Okinawa. “I’m so anxious to see what’s going on,” said Smith. “I know it’s going to really be a good trip for me. I’ve never done this before. The only planes I flew in were prop planes.”

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. 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 of 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.