UPDATE - July 10:
Nearly 59 years after being wounded in combat during the Vietnam War, SSGT Thomas Martin, U.S. Army, received the Purple Heart he earned for wounds sustained on September 16, 1967, while serving with the 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division.
Martin was honored during a public Purple Heart ceremony Friday morning, July 10, at the Nevada Veterans Memorial Plaza on Howard Drive in Sparks, where he was presented with the long-awaited award.
When Honor Flight Nevada returned from Washington, D.C. last month, News 2 aired a story featuring Tom and his son, both veterans, which introduced viewers to part of Tom’s remarkable journey. Friday’s ceremony represented the long-awaited conclusion of that story.
The Purple Heart is the oldest U.S. military award, and it’s awarded to servicemembers who are wounded or killed in combat.
Nearly 59 years after being wounded in combat during the Vietnam War, SSGT Thomas Martin, U.S. Army, received the Purple Heart he earned for wounds sustained on September 16, 1967, while serving with the 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division.
ORIGINAL STORY - June 14:
Flight 4781 from Phoenix is a run-of-the-mill flight into Reno-Tahoe International Airport on most days, but on Sunday morning, it brought dozens of northern Nevada veterans home.
Honor Flight Nevada flew 35 veterans to Washington, D.C, to see the memorials there.
For one World War II veteran, one stop stood above them all.
"The holocaust museum, that impressed me because I had been at Buchenwald as it liberated,” says Tony Pagano, who served in the Army and recently turned 100 years old.
Tom and Greg Martin are a father and son who both served in the Army. The younger of the two says the trip served as a bonding experience.
“Most of the males in our family served in the military at one point or another, obviously at different times in history,” Greg Martin says. “To be able to go on this with my dad, and share that common ground at the same time, is very special."
Tom Martin served in Vietnam, and he says it was an honor to find his friends' names along the wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
"Greg helped me. I presented 12 photographs at the wall of friends of mine that were listed on the wall, Tom Martin says. “I'm really honored to be able to do that."
Joseph Eberle served in the air force, working on and loading B-36 and B-52 bombers during the Korean War.
His favorite part of the trip was interviewing one of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
“It was very interesting because you just take a lot of this for granted,” he says. “You see these guys working 24/7 every day of the year and no matter what the conditions are, and we just wanted to know what motivated them."
Hundreds gathered to welcome the veterans home, but thousands more can continue to celebrate them every day.
"Please honor the veterans that made the country what it is today,” Tom Martin says.
"They don't want any glory. They just want to be appreciated,” says Eberle.
If you’re a veteran and are interested in hopping on a future honor flight, you can apply online.
Honor Flight Nevada organized the trip for veterans to see all of the memorials and museums built in their honor.
