DAV Magazine — September/October 2016
DAV Flight Team touches down at Oshkosh
T he DAV Flight Team landed at the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisc., July 25 in what was another recordsetting year for America’s largest airshow.
“This is the third consecutive year the event has outpaced the prior year’s attendance,” said National Headquarters Executive Director Barry Jesinoski. “It gives our airshow team a chance to connect with patriotic supporters through a very unique platform.”
The DAV Flight Team Ford truck was placed in the center show area in Warbird Alley, the space that profiles several of the rare and unique World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War warbirds, and was flanked by the venerable A-10 Thunderbolt (or “Warthog”) and the iconic F-4 Phantom.
DAV Past Department of Wisconsin Commander K. C. Johnson was a special guest at the event, along with the last surviving member of World War II’s Doolittle Raid, Lt. Col. Dick Cole, who was Jimmy Doolittle’s co-pilot during the 1945 reprisal raid on Tokyo after the Pearl Harbor attack.
Johnson said meeting Cole was an honor, and he was proud of Wisconsin’s support of DAV’s flight team.
“We had volunteers from Chapters 17, Oshkosh; 19, West Allis; and 44 in Milwaukee helping out,” Johnson said. “The [DAV] Auxiliary was represented as well.”
EAA and Warbirds of America partnered with DAV for the Honor Flight for Vietnam veterans and the Salute to Veterans Parade, which was led by Johnson.
“The Oshkosh AirVenture experience is unequaled as an aviation event and is likely unsurpassed in patriotism,” said President of Warbirds of America Connie Bowlin. “This year, EAA Warbirds of America and DAV continued their longstanding partnership to recognize and support our veterans. It was a pleasure to have DAV occupy a prominent spot in the Warbird area of AirVenture and to share in the veterans’ activities, including an evening concert sponsored by DAV and Warbirds.”
The veteran-themed day of events culminated with a performance by swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
“Airshows are a great vehicle to tell our nation about DAV’s mission of a lifetime of support to veterans and families,” National Commander David Riley said. “We have found tremendous support for veterans among the airshow crowds, and I’m grateful to our friends at EAA for their continued partnership with DAV.”
Learn More Online
The next Oshkosh event is scheduled for July 24-30, 2017. More information on DAV’s Flight Team and photos of the Oshkosh Airshow can be found at Facebook.com/davflightteam.
“This is the third consecutive year the event has outpaced the prior year’s attendance,” said National Headquarters Executive Director Barry Jesinoski. “It gives our airshow team a chance to connect with patriotic supporters through a very unique platform.”
The DAV Flight Team Ford truck was placed in the center show area in Warbird Alley, the space that profiles several of the rare and unique World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War warbirds, and was flanked by the venerable A-10 Thunderbolt (or “Warthog”) and the iconic F-4 Phantom.
DAV Past Department of Wisconsin Commander K. C. Johnson was a special guest at the event, along with the last surviving member of World War II’s Doolittle Raid, Lt. Col. Dick Cole, who was Jimmy Doolittle’s co-pilot during the 1945 reprisal raid on Tokyo after the Pearl Harbor attack.
Johnson said meeting Cole was an honor, and he was proud of Wisconsin’s support of DAV’s flight team.
“We had volunteers from Chapters 17, Oshkosh; 19, West Allis; and 44 in Milwaukee helping out,” Johnson said. “The [DAV] Auxiliary was represented as well.”
EAA and Warbirds of America partnered with DAV for the Honor Flight for Vietnam veterans and the Salute to Veterans Parade, which was led by Johnson.
“The Oshkosh AirVenture experience is unequaled as an aviation event and is likely unsurpassed in patriotism,” said President of Warbirds of America Connie Bowlin. “This year, EAA Warbirds of America and DAV continued their longstanding partnership to recognize and support our veterans. It was a pleasure to have DAV occupy a prominent spot in the Warbird area of AirVenture and to share in the veterans’ activities, including an evening concert sponsored by DAV and Warbirds.”
The veteran-themed day of events culminated with a performance by swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
“Airshows are a great vehicle to tell our nation about DAV’s mission of a lifetime of support to veterans and families,” National Commander David Riley said. “We have found tremendous support for veterans among the airshow crowds, and I’m grateful to our friends at EAA for their continued partnership with DAV.”
Learn More Online
The next Oshkosh event is scheduled for July 24-30, 2017. More information on DAV’s Flight Team and photos of the Oshkosh Airshow can be found at Facebook.com/davflightteam.
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