LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Veterans call it a trip of a lifetime.
Honor Flight Southern Nevada recently toured war memorials built for them in the Washington D.C. area. FOX5 went along and has been telling the stories of victory, sacrifice and loss of life during war.
Some veterans could not hold back tears when they returned home from the trip. They were surprised by “mail call” on the plane back to Las Vegas.
“When many of these men and woman served, one of the things they looked forward to was an opportunity to get mail from home,” said Honor Flight Southern Nevada President Belinda Morse.
Morse made that announcement to a packed plane at about 30,000 feet over Colorado. Honor Flight staff then handed out stacks of cards and letters, written to veterans by friends and family before the trip. A child drew a picture of a person on a boat for Vietnam Veteran Alan Zach, who was in the Coast Guard. Zach was touched by part of what the letter said.
“When I grow up, I want to be in the Coast Guard,” said the letter to Zach.
Kim Duclos accompanied her dad, Michal Morgan, on the Honor Flight trip. Morgan is a Vietnam War veteran. She read a letter to him from his great-grandson, great-granddaughter and his granddaughter.
“It says, ‘Happy birthday. I love you, Papa. Thank you.’ I never said thank you enough for not only being the best Papa but for being my American hero,” said the letter.
Vietnam War veteran Chuck Mooney read a letter from his son.
“Thank you, because you have not just been a father, you have been a constant source of love, support and guidance. You have been and will always be my role model,” read the letter, which brought Mooney to tears.
He added, “He never even mentioned none of this before. This the first time. I know he loved me and still cared about me. But he never said it in these words, man. I’m so grateful. I’m so thankful. I’m so blessed.”
Vietnam War veteran John Allie was consoled by the Honor Flight photographer when Allie received his stack of cards and letters. Allie was too emotional to read the cards and letters and teared up. FOX5 asked what he thought about the stack of mail.
“I didn’t know that, that many people cared,” said Allie.
Honor Flight Southern Nevada is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Its mission is to honor U.S. veterans of World War II, Korea and the Vietnam War by flying them to Washington D.C. free of charge.
More information can be found at honorflightsouthernnevada.org
Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.
How smartphone apps turn your night sky into a space map
Astronomy apps help you spot constellations, planets and satellites in real time using your smartphone.
Skywatchers across the U.S. are about to be treated to a dazzling weekend filled with not only two active meteor showers, but a celestial alignment starring the moon.
For two nights, Earth’s only natural satellite will host a cosmic party with three planets — Mars, Saturn and Uranus.
The phenomenon, often called a planet parade, presents spectators with a rare opportunity to see not only multiple planets, but also the moon, appear close together in the night sky — at least, from Earth’s vantage.
The best part of the show? Most of the striking spectacle — with the exception of Uranus — will be visible to the naked eye.
Here’s everything to know about the rare sight, as well as when, how and where you can see it across the United States.
The moon will appear in the night sky before sunrise on Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12, NASA said in a monthly skywatching guide.
While the term “planet parade” is not an official astronomy term, it is an unofficial way for astronomers and stargazers to refer to certain celestial events.
The planets in our solar system orbit the sun essentially along a line across the sky in a flat disc-shaped plane called the ecliptic.
Another term for a certain kind of planetary alignment, planet parades are what happens when planets line up along the ecliptic in a straight line and appear to us on Earth to be marching across the night sky, according to NASA. So, while planetary alignments themselves aren’t special, it is notable to have an opportunity to observe multiple planets at once.
During the celestial alignment, the moon will be entering a waning crescent phase before we have a new moon, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. That means Earth’s only natural satellite is getting less and less full and bright each night as its crescent gets thinner and thinner, NASA explains.
That’s good news for stargazers, as the moon will still be visible without outshining the planets nearby.
Look toward the eastern sky to catch the cosmic lineup in the early morning.
While the moon will of course be the easiest to locate, Mars will look like a small reddish point of light, while Saturn is also bright and easy to spot, NASA explained in a video.
For the clearest views, there are several places that are an easy drive from Reno where you can get a clear view of the stars, including:
Cloudy conditions may bring relief from the recent heat wave, but they could spoil the early-morning view of the planetary parade in much of northwestern Nevada.
Mars and Saturn are among the five planets in our solar system visible without optical aid — along with Mercury, Venus and Jupiter. Telescopes certainly will enhance the view but spectators don’t need any equipment to spot those planets joining the moon in the pre-dawn sky.
As for Uranus, the planet is typically not as bright — despite being the third largest in our solar system — and will require a telescope to see, NASA said.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com. The Reno Gazette Journal’s Carly Sauvageau and Brett McGinness contributed to this report.
A Nevada man is believed to have suffered a deadly fall while climbing in Oregon.
He’s been identified as 77-year-old Robert Pickering.
Search and rescue crews say they found his body along Mount Washington, northwest of Bend, according to a social media post from the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.
A climbing guide reported hearing a rockslide near the summit after Pickering passed his group.
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office was one of several groups that assisted in the search.
RENO, Nev. – A homicide suspect from Montana took their own life on Thursday night after police surrounded their car in northwest Reno, reports KTVN 2 News Nevada.
The incident happened in the area of Sharlands Avenue around 9 p.m., according to a spokesperson for the Reno Police Department.
Officers located the suspect and surrounded their car, blocking them in. They then heard a single gunshot and backed away.
Reinforcements were called, and a drone was brought in by UNRPD. It was then confirmed the suspect was in their car, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the news agency reports.
The suspect has not been identified pending the notification of next of kin, and no additional information has been released at this time.
In addition to the Reno Police Department, the Regional Narcotics Unit and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
The investigation is ongoing.
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Forecast: Looking ahead to toasty temps next week
Denver weather: Warming trend continues this weekend and into next week
