Pictures with the C47 TICO Belle. This aircraft dropped the 101 ST Airborne over Normandy during the D Day Invasion June 6th 1944. She dropped the 82nd over Holland during Market Garden.
Update – Recent trip to my home town of Stanton Ky, Powell County. We toured the Jeep around town during the 4th of July weekend to the delight of many locals. Pictures were taken and many rides given. Several old WWII & Korean War vets were enchanted and many youngster got to see one in living history for the first time. Several pictures were taken in the vicinity of the bueatiful Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge. If you are a Blue Grass Fan, yes that is Ricky Wasson who used to play with JD Crowe.
On the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor I was honored to display my both my jeep at Naval Ordnance Test Unit (NOTU) Cape Canaveral FL in ceremonies hosted by Commanding Officer Captain John Sager, USN. In attendance were Pearl Harbor survivors 95 year old CWO4 Jim Swept, USN (ret) was aboard USS HULL (DD 350) and John Hatcher USS Phoenix (CL 46). The navy fired a 21 gun salute from their mobile battery of three 40 MM saluting guns. Channel 2 News
Orlando coverage following link:
Update 1-4-2018:
Attached are the pictures taken at American Aero http://americanaeroservices.com/ open house at the New Smyrna Beach Florida Airport. A living history experience featuring Collins Foundation Aircraft http://www.collingsfoundation.org/ and Jeeps from members of the Military Vehicle Preservation Society (MVPA) http://www.mvpa.org/ .Jeep rides and plane rides helped raise money for the Humane society today. http://www.sevhumanesociety.org/main.html. Shown on the second page: The Bull Terrier, He resembles General Patton’s Bull Terrier “Willie” waiting in the Jeep for him at an 8th AAF field somewhere in England with the B17G Flying Fortress in the background. LOL
Update 1-19-2018:
Attended the TICO Warbird Air Museum Veterans day open house 2018 in Titusville FL. I had the extreme pleasure of showing off my 1942 Willys MB & my 1945 Ford GPW. I was honored to meet and hear stories of veterans from WW II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, Afghanistan and all the times and conflicts too many to mention in between. One story stood out in particular was that of 96 years old Major Joseph Reus USAF (ret) of Titusville. He was a navigator on B24s during WWII flying out of England with the 8th Army Air Force. Joseph was shot dow twice during the war. The first time over the English Channel and was fished out and returned to his base. The second time he was not so lucky. He was shot down over Germany and bailed out to be captured and sent to german Stalag (POW camp) for remaining 18 months of the ear. After the war, was over he decided to stay at in the service and flew as navigator aboard the B52 Stratofortress for Strategic Air Command retiring in 1965. This year Major Reus decided to write a book titled “Kriegsg efananger” War Prisoner about his experiences during WWII.
awesome the D day