The first-ranking woman Nevada Air National Guard Brigadier General Carol Thomas, will be honored with a Legacy Flight in a ceremonial WWII-era aircraft along with five other Nevada veterans.
This Sunday, April 27, the six Northern Nevada veterans representing decades of military service across multiple branches will be honored with ceremonial flights in a restored WWII-era T-6 aircraft during a special event at Carson City Airport located at 2600 College Parkway in Carson City.
The Legacy Flights are organized by aviator and local business leader Darryl Fisher, founder of the nonprofit Legacy Airbase, which is dedicated to recognizing the service of veterans through meaningful aviation experiences.
Among the honorees is 76-year-old Brigadier General Carol Thomas, a U.S. Air Force veteran and the first woman to attain her rank in the Nevada Air National Guard. Her distinguished career marks a significant milestone in the state’s military history.
She joins five other veterans with notable service records to include:
- 80-year-old Major Ben Thomas, a USAF veteran who flew mid-air refueling missions during the Vietnam War and served as a navigator on the Phantom RF4 out of the Reno Air National Guard.
- 78-year-old Master Sergeant Stoney Faubu, a USAF flight mechanic and engineer with service spanning from the Vietnam era through the 1980s, including work on the C-7A Caribou and C-130.
- 86-year-old Staff Sergeant Marty Brenner, a USAF medic who served at March Air Reserve Base.
- 59-year-old Command Sergeant Major James Richardson, a U.S. Army and Nevada National Guard veteran with deployments to both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
- 67-year-old Private Edward Bindert, a U.S. Army veteran currently residing in Sparks.
Organizers say the T-6 aircraft, often referred to as “the pilot maker,” was a vital training platform for Allied forces in WWII and later served in combat zones during the Korean War.
Its inclusion in Sunday’s tribute provides a fitting historical connection to the era in which many of these veterans served.
This event offers a rare opportunity to celebrate six local heroes as they take to the skies once more, this time, in tribute to their legacies.
