Reunions, surprises and tears: 32nd Central Valley Honor Flight wraps its final day

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KSEE/KGPE) – After three unforgettable days in and around our nation’s Capitol, the 32nd Central Valley Honor Flight concluded Wednesday, as many more bucket list items were crossed off for valley veterans.

The final day started at Arlington National Cemetery, giving two veterans and their children a chance to visit the gravesites of their loved ones, buried on-site, for the very first time.

Among the more than 14,000 veterans buried at Arlington, Army veteran Terence Milliken and his daughter Nichole were there to see one near and dear to their hearts.

“I’m here to visit my father at Arlington Cemetery. The feeling is pretty much indescribable,” Milliken said, moments after seeing the grave of his father, Marine Corps veteran James Milliken.

It was his first chance to visit, following his dad’s passing in 2011.

“It’s getting emotional a little bit, but I got to see my father again,” Milliken said. “And we’ll see him on the other side. Hopefully not too soon.”

“It’s just amazing. So, it makes my heart swell to see my dad finally be able to see his dad at his final resting place,” said Nichole Slavec, Terence’s daughter.

Air Force veteran and retired sports publicist Woody Wilk took the chance to say hello to an old friend, Judie Richtsmeier, now resting among fields of heroes.

“Met when we were in seventh grade. We were in a confirmation class at our church together. She was brilliant,” said Wilk. “She was voted most likely to succeed.”

And Wilk says succeed she did.

She joined the Army as a nurse in the Vietnam War, where, like straight out of a Hollywood movie, she met her husband on the job.

“He was brought in as a medevac. His helicopter had been shot down. He was wounded, she treated him,” Wilk shared. “Long story short, they fell in love.”

Meanwhile, other veterans with the Central Valley Honor Flight joined in at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with four of them getting the honor of laying the wreath.

Veterans, including the first Central Valley Honor Flight woman to do so, Navy veteran Jacque Tripp, checked off a lifelong dream.

“Today was just mind-blowing. I would have never imagined to be selected to do what they asked me to do. It was a complete surprise and a total honor,” she said.

Also tasked with that honor was David Holden, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam.

He said he refused to come on the trip for years as he hung on to decades of pain. However, after some persistent convincing, he finally agreed to join.

His main goal: to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to say goodbye to four of his former classmates whose names are listed along the wall.

“I know that they know I never forgot, and I know that they’re okay with that. I know they’d want me to let it go and be okay,” said Holden, tears in his eyes. “This has been a great experience for me. I think I am going to at least leave a lot of it here.”