What began as a single mission to honor WWII veterans by bringing them to see their memorial in 2005 has now honored more than 300,000 veterans in over 129 hubs nationwide. Central Valley Honor Flight lifted off Oct. 13-15 for the 33rd flight with 67 Korean and Vietnam war veterans on board. Their journey took them on a private capitol tour along with visiting the memorials that both honor their military branches and their service. Participation in the Honor Flight allows each veteran, alongside their guardian, to remember the fallen, share their stories and for many, the first time they feel valued and honored for their service. This series highlights many of the unforgettable stories from Central Valley Honor Flight 33.
Between 1964 and 1973, approximately 2.2 million American men were drafted into the United States military during the Vietnam War. The war began in the 1950s, however when the United States became involved in the conflict to prevent the spread of Communism in 1965, it escalated. Rich Tolladay was one of the men conscripted into the military and chose to serve in the U.S. Navy.
Draft numbers were an important factor in the Vietnam War, determining which young men would be sent across the world to fight in a foreign war. Tolladay’s number was two, which meant he would be sent to Vietnam, yet to avoid such a fate, he decided to join the Navy.
Born in Coarsegold, California, Tolladay joined the United States Navy at just 17, serving from 1974 to 1980. Aboard the USS Henry Clay, Tolladay worked in the missile control center as a computer technician: programming, repairing and maintaining the target list. On board the submarine, Tolladay observed the firing of Poseidon missiles and was present during the testing of the missiles at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The Poseidon missile is a type of ballistic missile fired from submarines, which succeeded the Polaris missile program. It is a two-stage, solid-propellant missile with a larger frame and allows for greater payload capacity. The Poseidon missiles were designed in order to be compatible with the launch tubes of fleet ballistic missile, or FBM, submarines that formerly housed Polaris missiles.
Tolladay was submerged underwater in the USS Henry Clay for 100 days. Without exposure to sunlight for that amount of time, many submarine servicemen struggle to acclimate, many of them wearing long sleeves to avoid sunburns.
On the Central Valley Honor Flight, the veterans had a chance to go to Arlington National Cemetery which houses fallen soldiers who served in the United States military. Tolladay visited Section 21 or the Nurses Memorial, the resting place of 653 brave nurses of the military. The marble statue, representing “The Spirit of Nursing” was unveiled in 1938 for the nurses of the Army and Navy; it was rededicated in 1971 to commemorate the devotion of Army, Navy and Air Force nurses.
“That one really struck home with me,” Tolladay said. “My sister was a Navy nurse, she’s retired. I could see her in that position. She didn’t go to Vietnam. She went to Kuwait later.”
While in Arlington National Cemetery, Tolladay visited the grave of Admiral Hyman Rickover. Rickover is known as the Father of the Nuclear Navy. Tolladay credits Rickover for being his hero, as he created the SUBSAFE system which would never lose another submarine after the sinking of the USS Scorpion in 1968. When visiting the cemetery, coins are left on the graves of fallen soldiers as remembrance.
“A penny means one visitor, one veteran visiting another veteran. A nickel would mean that they went to boot camp together,” Tolladay said. “A dime would mean they served together and a quarter would mean he was there when he or she died.”
After retiring from the Navy, Tolladay went into the business of burglar alarms. He then transferred into the business of computer repairs after studying at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly).
Tolladay remembers the great experience he had on Honor Flight and the important message that is engraved in stone in the Korean War Memorial. The Wall Of Remembrance displays the names of 36,574 American servicemen who gave their lives to help defend the people of South Korea from 1950 to 1953. Opposite of this memorial wall bears the message which holds deep in every servicemen’s hearts: Freedom is Not Free.
To read more about or donate to the Central Valley Honor Flight, visit their home page.
To read more from The Feather Honor Flight series, visit Honor Flight: Veteran Leonard Kizirian or Honor Flight: Veteran Mike Dillman.
Richard G Tolladay • Mar 24, 2026 at 1:44 pm
Just saw on the TV NEWS that the Feather one National notoriety and visited New York City.
Congratulations to all involved. Very well deserved.
Rich Tolladay