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.
Serving two WestPac tours to Vietnam in 1968 and 1969 on the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), United States Navy veteran Danny Noe dedicated his service from 1966-71. Noe worked in hydraulics, checking for leaks for six years, then went to on shore duty and worked in personnel handling officers’ records.
Noe was drafted in 1966 at 18 years old, right after he graduated from high school in June, and by Dec., he was in boot camp in the Great Lakes until he went on the USS Enterprise.
On the USS Enterprise, he took two tours; during his first tour, they stopped in Hawaii to get supplies and when they were about three hours from Hawaii, the ship exploded on Jan. 12, 1969. He lost 28 of his crewmates.
“He [one of his crew mates] turned the turbine on the engine to get it going and well he backed it in the wrong direction and the hot cross was going and that’s what started the whole thing,” Noe said. “A little bit went off, and then they hit the other planes. Everything ignited then they started blowing up and some bombs were 500 pounds, and you know, it was just going through the flat deck, which is like four inch thick steel just making it through like a tin can.”
Noe does not know why he was not killed, but he is grateful he survived. The explosion threw him out of the bunk and when he got to the doorway, he remembers very clearly, he went left instead of right and everything was blowing up.
The rest of that day, everyone had a role. He was to go to the flat deck, which is a flat surface that can be used to store various things. Noe made phone calls to get help and he helped hose down the ship.
The next day, the crew was trying to sort out all the chaos once they got to land, so he had to check in and be accounted for. When Noe went to check in, he had been marked as missing in action (MIA) due to his burnt dog tags being found, which he still wears to this day.
After spending three months in Hawaii fixing the ship, he started his second tour in Vietnam. He came home safely in June to Travis Air Force base in Fairfield, California. Other than immediate family, no one came to welcome him and other Vietnam veterans home.
Veteran Danny Noe was surprised by his son Daniel who secretly signed his father up for Central Valley Honor Flight three years prior. Danny Noe was very excited when he heard the news just months before the trip. His son found it difficult to keep a secret, but was glad in the end, seeing his father’s reaction.
“Keeping that secret was exciting but also a little tough. I knew how much it would mean to him, so I wanted it to be a surprise he would never forget,” Daniel Noe said. “It took a lot of patience not to spill the news, but seeing his reaction when he found out made it all worth it. His smile and emotion in that moment said it all.”
Danny Noe enjoyed seeing the memorials in Washington D.C., especially seeing the changing of the Guard at Arlington National Cemetery, which reminded him of boot camp, holding the rifle for so long and not dropping it until someone tells you can.
“The detail and the diligence of everything that they have to go through,” Noe said. “People do not realize what it takes to just stand there just for 30 seconds and hold a rifle, let alone what they do, and not twitch, you know, an eyebrow or anything.”
Noe is very thankful to the Honor Flight crew for all that they do for the veterans. He wishes everybody could take the trip.
“I just cannot praise those people enough for what they do and the time they put in and it is all volunteers,” Noe said. “It is just unbelievable how much fun they make it and how well they take care of you.”
Noe treasures his experience on Honor Flight and is grateful he got to go with his son. The Honor Flight crew made every moment feel special to everyone there.
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 Mike Dillman or Honor Flight Veteran Rich Tolladay.
Meghan Creamier • Nov 14, 2025 at 3:26 pm
Great work! You truly captured his heart! Keep up the amazing work!