Clovis veterans take part in 14th Central Valley Honor Flight

Central Valley veterans (red) and their guardians (blue) gather for group photo at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 10 during their Honor Flight trip. (Photo courtesy of Central Valley Honor Flight)

BY DANIEL GLIGICH

When Lawrence Merten of Clovis joined the Navy in 1951 and attended radio school, he finished second in his class. One of the perks was choosing his assignment. With his eyes on Hawaii, he chose Pearl Harbor.

It just so happened he wound up meeting his wife, Betty, in Hawaii, who was also in the Navy.

During the 64 years they’ve been married, they never had a chance to visit the war memorials in Washington D.C. together. That changed with the Central Valley Honor Flight.

Lawrence, 86, and Betty, 87, were two of the 68 veterans who traveled to the capital. The honor flight is committed to honoring local veterans by sending them to see their war memorials at no cost to them.

The veterans, guardians and volunteers flew out of Fresno Yosemite International Airport on Oct. 9, and returned two days later. This was the second honor flight from the Central Valley in 2017, and over 1,000 veterans have gone on the 14 flights since the first trip in 2013.

Honor Flight president and trip leader Mark Hopkins took over from former president Al Perry this year. He said each trip costs $180,000 and is funded by donations.

Hopkins, a retired paramedic and current manager at Island Waterpark, said his father, a Vietnam veteran, was a guardian for one of the previous flights, which caused him to open up for the first time about his experiences in the war.

“Now I have that bit of history that I can pass on to my kids to tell them what their grandfather did, and those are things that are not lost anymore,” Hopkins said. “That’s really what Honor Flight in essence is about – something that’s lost and re-found. It’s so exciting to see these guys finally get what they deserve – seeing their memorials.”

Along with the Merten were 10 other veterans from Clovis: John Balas, Richard Bersano, Fritz Kyer, Tom Libby, Louis Rodriguez, Tom Sample, Vince Schiappi, Clyde Shewmake, John Tilbury and Philip Torres.

Two of Lawrence and Betty Merten’s six children, Kenneth Merten and Denis Morford traveled with them as guardians. Ken is also a veteran, having served 26 years in the Navy.

On the second day of the trip, the veterans visited the World War II memorial, the Vietnam War memorial and the Korean War memorials among others. They also went to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, which houses “Old Glory,” the original American flag.

“When we went to the Smithsonian and saw the American flag, that was when I transformed myself back to boot camp,” Betty said. “I just remember that I stood there and cried in formation because the Star-Spangled Banner was playing. It gets you.”

Lawrence said that even though he was once stationed in Virginia and had visited Washington before, he never saw the war memorials. He said he was impressed with all of the memorials and was happy to have his wife with him on the trip.

“I’m glad that we both got to come,” Lawrence said. “She got out after she had three years in, and she was responsible for raising my kids. She just did a wonderful job.

“None of them have ended up in jail,” Lawrence joked.

When the veterans arrived at the Korean War memorial, they were surprised to see active generals from the United States and South Korea. The generals were in Washington, so they went to the Korean War memorial to perform a ceremony honoring all of those killed in action.

Hopkins didn’t plan any of this out, but the veterans were in the right place at the right time. The generals greeted everyone, performed the ceremony and thanked the veterans for their service.

After the busy trip, the veterans arrived home to 80 active-duty Navy men and women saluting them and over 1,000 people welcoming them home.

For Hopkins, the welcome home at the airport was the perfect ending for the trip.

“This is our way of saying, ‘Thank you for what you did,’ and honoring them for all that they sacrificed during that time,” Hopkins said. “And some people sacrificed their life, and we need to remember that. This country would not be where it is today if it wasn’t for these people that sacrificed so much. So, this welcome home signifies all that put together.”

Four trips are planned for next year, including a trip specifically for Vietnam veterans. To donate, go to the Central Valley Honor Flight’s website, www.cvhonorflight.org and click on the donate button. Anyone interested in applying to go on a future flight as a veteran, guardian or volunteer can apply online on the website or by downloading the applications and mailing them in. The donate button and the applications are found on the right-hand side of the website’s home page.