Page 7 - Sanger Herald 5-17-18 E-edition

Navo Classic wrestling tournament
Mike Nemeth/Sanger Herald
A serious looking Matt Navo may be pointing out to Tom Flores that Flores is not the only one with something in the school district named af- ter him. There is the Tom Flores Stadium and now the Navo Classic elementary school wrestling tournament. The two celebrities got together at the inaugural tournament in the high school gym. Navo is wearing a Navo Clossic com- memorative T-shirt.
HONOR FLIGHT: For many, it was the celebration they never received after serving their country.
Continued from page 1A
And the winner is ...
he doesn’t talk about,” Winona said. “Not being able to talk about things. We just know he served and served in a grand capacity he doesn’t think was so grand, but we know it was.
Photos by Jackson Moore/Mid Valley Publishing
WWII veteran Joseph Matsuo.
"It was a sunken room that nobody knows, the stuff he doesn’t talk about, at a critical and crucial time during the Vietnam War. Me personally, as his daughter, I can only imagine what kind of information he got and transferred.”
LeRoy Robinson’s duties would later change as a public relations officer and broadcast journalist, where he anchored
a nightly newscast on the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy. One highlight of his public relations duties was that he announced the
dignitaries at his locations, once including President Ronald Reagan.
Robinson settled in Sanger and served as a pastor of Little Church of Centerville.
Of the flight, Robinson said, “Iwo Jima and the ceremonies were very touching. I really enjoyed those. All the places we were able to go on this short trip was amazing. What this group has done ... I’m thankful to be here. To visit all those places, it’s great to be at, take pictures of and put them all in my memory.”
On the final day of the flight, the group visited the Vietnam Memorial Wall, made in the honor of those who never returned home. That’s where Daniel Garcia, 66, of Sanger, looked to find the names of his fallen friends.
Garcia said he remembers his lost Army friends vividly as he and others attempted to rescue two downed pilots. He was a helicop- ter door gunner in Vietnam.
“Two of them, they got shot down,” Garcia said. “We went out to rescue them, but we saw them burning in the helicopter out in the rice paddies. Another, he only had 30 days before being discharged. He got killed."
Garcia said that soldiers' death really hurt.
The Vietnam Wall experience proved perhaps to be the most emotional of the trip as veterans found the names of their lost friends. The experiences of many involved in that war led them to feel guilt and suppress their experiences, veterans said.
Central Valley Honor Flight staff member and Vietnam veteran Bill Goodreau provided some perspective when he spoke to his fellow veterans.
“In World War II, we know that generation as the greatest generation," he said. "I say this, we were the most faithful. We were most faithful to America when, at times unfortu- nately, there were some Americans that were not faithful to us.”
“I could relate,” Garcia said. “It brought tears to my eyes.”
Vietnam veteran LeRoy Robinson with his daughter and trip guardian Winona Robinson.
SANGER HERALD 7A THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2018
By Dick Sheppard
Sanger Herald
North Valley law enforcement agencies and emergency personnel brought in just over 2,100 blood donors during the 16th an- nual Battle of the Badges blood drive, said Leslie Botos, director of community rela-
tions and development for the Central Cali- fornia Blood Center.
Here in Sanger, the fire department won the battle with 24 donors.
The police department had 21 donors.
"Overall, it was a great success," said Botos.
After seeing the wall and finding the names he was looking for, Garcia said, “It seems like the emptiness I’ve had is being cleared up. It’s like I laid my friends to rest, finally. I think I can handle it a little better — I think.
“I think it’s going to put my mind at ease. I’ve been holding too much back for a long time. I’ve gone through a lot of counseling, but I think this is going to end it all. It feels like this is sacred ground that can finally bring peace to your soul.”
After the Vietnam War, Garcia spent an additional 17 years in the National Guard
in a tank unit. He has since spent his time working at the Sanger Post Office and riding Harley Davidson motorcycles – both of which he has retired from.
“I’m finally getting around,” Garcia said. “I didn’t want to go anywhere, not even Fresno. I was hibernating from everyone, and
I think it’s about time I come out.”
The final day included a visit to Arlington National Cemetery and the Air Force Memo-
rial.
On the flight home, the vets received a
surprise “mail call” of letters from family, friends, city officials, students and others. The veterans got applause, handshakes
and "thank yous" everywhere they went. But when they returned home to Fresno,
the airport lobby was filled with friends, family and supporters who cheered as loud as they could as the veterans walked down an aisle to baggage claim. For many, it was the celebration they never received after serving their country.
“That was even better than Washington D.C.,” one veteran exclaimed.
The reporter can be reached at jacksonm. sentinel@gmail.com.
AWARDS: Thank You Awards for 2018 go to Josie Lopez, Kent Matsuzaki, Dee Holiday and Jesse Solorio. Continued from page 2A
tofivepeopleeachyearcanbe honored with the Thank You Award. It is an award for those who have given to someone who either lived,
workedorvolunteeredinSanger - someone who goes over and be- yond, showing love for Sanger.
Honoring Sanger’s Thank You
Awardsfor2018goto JosieLopez, Kent Matsuzaki, Dee Holiday and Jesse Solorio.
• Angel Award: This award is
onlyforaSangercitizenwhohas passed away, someone who devoted life and career to Sanger.
It will go to a person others call
anicon.
Honoring Sanger’s Angel Award
for 2018 goes to Miguel Real.
Igniting Futures
Supporting Higher Education for Fire Academy Cadets