Photo: Cullman Aeromodelers member Richard Witt proudly shows off his B-25 Mitchell WWII bomber.
CULLMAN – Cullman’s Veterans Day celebration is shaping up to be something really special this year. This week, at the VFW, the second of three scheduled press conferences was held to give a preview of what visitors can expect at the event, slated for Nov. 5 at both Sportsman Lake Park and Cullman Regional Airport.
“It’s going to be a total immersion World War II experience,” said retired Air Force Col. Ken Brown.
Four groups were on-hand at the press event, including Thomas Jefferson Denney Camp 1442 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SVC), Cullman Aeromodelers, C & R Pawn & Gun Shop and the Alabama Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Cullman Chapter.
West Point Mayor Kenneth Kilgo represented the SVC, saying, “We’re a historical preservation society. We’re here for the community. We’ve already donated seven tons of food to the Cullman Caring for Kids food bank this year, and there’s more to come.”
On Nov. 5, members of the group from Cullman, as well as Marshall and St. Clair Counties, will be at Sportsman Lake Park as the SCV Mechanized Calvary, set up in a living history camp, complete with cannons and mortar and a historical flag display.
Kilgo said he’s proud of how far Cullman’s SVC group has come. “We had seven members three years ago, and now we have about 50,” he said.
Kilgo serves as the group’s 1st lt. commander, while Wayne Willingham is the commander and Bert Jones the adjutant.
The Cullman Aeromodelers had three model planes on display, and these were not the toys one might think of when hearing the term ‘model airplane.’
Member Richard Witt proudly showed off his B-25 Mitchell WWII bomber, which he says took about six months to create and is worth about $1,500-$1,800. The plane was about 5-6 feet long with a wingspan of about 5 feet.
Witt says the plane can fly “higher than you are able to see.”
At the Veterans Day celebration, there will be six-to-eight model warbirds out at the Cullman Regional Airport on display. All other model planes will be at Sportsman Lake.
Also with the Aeromodelers was Jim Dill, who was showing his model of the T-28, a plane that flew combat missions in Vietnam.
Dill said, “We can only fly our planes up to 400 feet.” That is to ensure that model planes don’t interfere with any real planes in the sky. The Aeromodelers are members of the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), says Dill, and, “want to stay safe.” The AMA liaises with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), interfacing with radio frequencies.
From C & R Pawn & Gun Shop, there was a very impressive display of WWII weapons, from the giant M-2 .50 caliber to small handguns and a grenade.
Owner Chris Crawford walked onlookers through the different types of guns and ammunition, saying his favorite was one of the bolt-action rifles.
He was joined by his son, Jason Crawford, and Vic Shotts.
The group will be set up at the airport on Nov. 5.
Lastly, Hal Thornton and Emory “Smokey” Ferguson were at the VFW, representing the Alabama Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Cullman Chapter. Both were dressed in full American Revolution Era gear, with each wearing the uniform of his ancestors.
Thornton was a “typical woodsman in a militia-type uniform” from 1783.
“My ancestor Josiah Thornton was a militiaman with the South Carolina militia,” he said.
Ferguson was in a full dress uniform, representative of his ancestors who were members of the North Carolina militia.
Both stressed the values of the Sons of the American Revolution, which, they said, are heredity (find and preserving the graves of patriots), patriotism and education.
The men, along with other members of their organization, will be at the airport for the Veterans Day celebration.
All of these organizations are in addition to what was announced in the first press conference several weeks ago: bigger flight experiences and a Rosie the Riveter competition.
North American P-51 Mustang rides are $1,595 per-ticket and may be purchased online at http://www.dixiewing.org/rides.htm. There will be eight 20-minute rides offered on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4 and 5.
Rides in the B-17 will take place Friday-Sunday, Nov. 4-6. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.eaa.org/en/eaa-shop/flight-experience/b17. A B-17 flight will set you back $449.
“We are going fully immersive this year,” said Brown. “Participants will have the opportunity to watch a 40-minute film about a mission, and then ride in the plane and ‘conduct’ that mission.”
The day will also include the Wallace State Community College jazz band and the Andrews Sisters, performing WWII era music. A special guest will be the widow of the pilot of the Memphis Belle.
The third and final press conference is set for Oct. 17, when the full program will be unveiled.
Background: http://www.cullmansense.com/articles/2016/08/13/veterans-day-celebration-expanding-include-bigger-flight-experiences-and-rosie
Copyright 2016 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
