Valley veterans welcomed home at Castle

Flags waved, hundreds of people cheered and patriotic music played as World War II and Korean War veterans from across the Valley arrived at Castle Airport from Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night.

For many, it was the home welcoming they didn’t receive decades ago.

Bob Smith, a World War II and Korean War Navy veteran of Merced, said the homecoming celebration was moving.

“I’d never seen anything like it,” he said. “All I kept saying was ‘Wow.’ I think I had tears in my eyes.”

Smith, 89, was one of 63 local veterans who took part in the eighth Central Valley Honor Flight. Veterans spent three days at the nation’s capital visiting memorials dedicated to servicemen and women. For many, the trip marked the first time seeing the sites.

The veterans made stops at the National World War II Memorial, the Marine Corps War Memorial and the U.S. Air Force Memorial, among others. The group also saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

As veterans exited the plane, they walked through a column of cheering supporters. Family members and local high school cheerleaders shared hugs and kisses, and the Atwater High band played loud and proud.

Albert Markus, 90, of Fresno said he didn’t expect the elaborate welcome. Markus served three years as a radar operator in the Navy during World War II. The trip with his fellow veterans felt like a dream, he said.

“I’ve never been treated this good,” he said. “There was just so much kindness.”

He always remembers his friends in the service, but it’s during special moments such as this that memories and nostalgia become stronger than ever.

“A lot of people didn’t come back,” he said, “I was very lucky to return.”

Joe Cox, 90, of Los Banos felt the same way. “This is tremendous,” he said. He shared that when he returned from World War II to his then home in Reedley, there was no such celebration. “My family picked me up in Fresno and that was it; there was no action, no band.”

His favorite part of the trip, he said, was seeing the World War II Memorial and sharing stories around the dinner table with the other veterans.

The goal of the Honor Flights is to take as many veterans in the area to see the monuments in Washington, D.C., organizers said. The nonprofit group has to raise about $1,500 per veteran to cover transportation, lodging and meals. The trip is free for the veterans.

The next flight, according to the Central Valley Honor Flight’s website, is scheduled for April.

This story was originally published October 21, 2015 at 10:11 PM with the headline "Valley veterans welcomed home at Castle."