Al Perry steps down

FRESNO, Calif. — Three years ago, sportscaster Paul Loeffler wanted to bring Honor Flight to Fresno to give Veterans in the Central Valley a chance to see the war memorials that were built in their honor and to give them the welcome home they never got.

He chose former VA hospital director Al Perry to head up the operation.

“When Paul called, I said ‘Yeah, that fits my background. I won’t let you down,'” Perry says.

Left to R: Doris Perry, (Al’s mother), Al Perry, William Cutler (Al’s grandfather, WWI), Blanche Cutler (Al’s grandmother)

Perry served during the Vietnam War from 1971 to 1973, where he worked in the medical service corps and hospital administration.

“In my view, in my heart, military service was something I needed to do,” Perry says.

The most recent flight, Honor Flight number 12, returned on October 26, but unlike many of the  other volunteers, Perry won’t be going on the 13th flight. Number 12 was his last.

“I had to step out, but feeling grateful, just grateful that I had the chance to not just get hundreds of veterans there and back, but to work with this extraordinary group of volunteers to make it happen,” Perry says. “I mean the friendships you make along the way–the people you meet.”

Photo taken at Women’s Memorial during Honor Flight #7

David Kroll, a veteran who went on Honor Flight 11, says Perry is someone he’ll never forget.

“The logistics that went into this, that man is fabulous,” Kroll says of Perry. “There’s nobody that can duplicate what he’s done for the veterans. He’s fantastic.”

Mark Hopkins, a bus captain and volunteer for the CVHF, says not many people know just how much work Perry puts into these flights.

As trip leader and President, Perry spends up to 12 hours a day planning the trips down to the last detail.

“How did I do it? A lot of caffeine, a lot of caffeine and a lot of hours is how I did it,” Perry says. Although, it wasn’t just caffeine that kept him going.

“It’s what we call, in my wheel house. It’s something I’m comfortable with, I’m kind of a challenge junkie, you know. If you’ve got a big challenge, I’ll take it,” Perry says.

So with Perry stepping down, who steps up?

“We’ve got a guy named, Mark Hopkins, who’s been a bus captain for 6 trips also a paramedic. He’s good to go. He’s the senior bus captain. I’ll work with him,” Perry says.

Hopkins says he won’t change the way Perry has set things up. He will only continue to do what Al would do.