Pine Bush Senior Honors Vietnam Vet on Honor Flight

Pine Bush High School senior Joseph Fontana spent 16 hours on May 30 accompanying a Vietnam War veteran to Washington, D.C., as part of Hudson Valley Honor Flight Mission 39.

Fontana served as guardian for Charles, a 77-year-old Army veteran from Peekskill who drove supply trucks during the Vietnam War. The pair visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial. They also witnessed the Changing of the Guard at Arlington Cemetery's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Charles shared stories with Fontana throughout the day. As a teenager, Charles unloaded produce trucks for a supermarket. When he enlisted, the Army assigned him as a transporter, assuming he had driving experience. During one supply run, bullets flew past his truck. "That was the moment he started to understand how bad Vietnam really was," the school district said.

On the flight home, veterans received mail call with cards and letters from supporters. Fontana contacted Eric Winter, principal at Pine Bush Elementary, asking if students would create messages for the veterans. Winter distributed the request to teachers, and Fontana delivered the student-created cards to include in the mail call packets.

"It was an experience of a lifetime," Fontana said.

Fontana graduates this month and will attend Marywood University to pursue a degree in Aviation Management while training to become a pilot.