The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum's World War II Weekend Special Guests

MID-ATLANTIC AIR MUSEUM'S
32nd ANNIVERSARY
 WORLD WAR II WEEKEND
 

"A GATHERING OF WARBIRDS"
 June 2 - 3 - 4, 2023

 SPECIAL GUESTS

Updated May 12, 2023

 

 


IN MEMORIAM TO OUR SPECIAL GUESTS WHO HAVE ANSWERED THE LAST BUGLE CALL IN THE PAST YEAR


*********************
 HERSHEL "WOODY" WILLIAMS

USMC, 1st Bn, 21st Marines, 3rd Marine Div.

Awarded the Medal of Honor - Iwo Jima

*********************

GUY WHIDDEN

USA, HQ Co., 502nd PIR, 101st Airborne Div.

Parachuted Into Normandy and Holland

*********************

THOMAS HOKE

USA, 312th Medical Bn. Co C 347th Inf Regt, 87th Inf Div

Battle of the Bulge Campaign

*********************

MAUR LEVAN

USA, 625th Ordnance Base Automotive Maintenance, 10th Army

Deployed in 1945 to Okinawa for the Invasion of Japan

*********************

GEORGE LAMBERT JR.

SSgt, US Army, Co D, 339th Engineer Construction Bn.

Luzon, New Guinea and Southern Philippines Campaign veteran

*********************
 


*********************
 RICHARD BOYD

Flt. Lt. DFC, R.A.F. No. 195 Squadron, No. 3 Group, Bomber Command

Lancaster Pilot, 33 Missions over Germany and France

*********************

JOHN LEFEROVICH

USA, 120th General Hospital

New Guinea and Philippines Campaigns

*********************

CLARENCE SMOYER

USA, 32nd Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Div.

Normandy, Northern France, Battle of the Bulge, and Rhineland Campaigns

*********************

FRANK LANTERMAN

Pharmacist Mate 1st Class, USN, LST-492

Offshore of Omaha Beach on D-Day, he witnessed the explosion of the LST next to his.

*********************

JIM GALLAGHER

Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class, USN,

Saipan, Mariana Islands

*********************
 


 

What follows is a partial roster of our scheduled Special Guests for the upcoming WWII Weekend.

As the show draws near and others are confirmed we'll add them, so please check back to see what other guests are coming.

WWII Weekend guest speaker's schedules will be posted at each speaker's venue at the show. 
At other times, many of these veterans will be available to meet and sign autographs at tables in the main hangar. 
In some cases an autograph fee may be charged by the Special Guest.

Guests are scheduled to appear on the days noted in their details below.


 

Ray Firmani

1Lt, USAAF, 835th Squadron, 486th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force

B-17 Pilot/Lead Crew 

25 Missions over Europe

Distinguished Flying Cross

European Theater of Operations

Appearing all three days
                                                              

Matt Gutman

CPO, USN, Landing Ship Tank, USS LST-553

Coxswain on LST that supported Peleliu, Leyte, Mindoro, Lingayen Gulf, Subic Bay, and Okinawa Landings

Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations

Appearing Friday & Saturday

Frank McCullough

Tech Sgt. USAAF,  391st Bomb Sqdn., 34th Bombardment Group, 8th AF

B-17 Engineer/Top Turret Gunner

30 Missions over Europe

Distinguished Flying Cross

European Theater of Operations

Appearing Friday
                                                              

 

Robert Thompson

SSgt. USA, Co. A, 23rd Infantry Regt., 2nd Inf. Div.

Combat Infantryman

Normandy, Brittany and Ardennes Campaigns

POW at stalags in Hammelburg, Nuremberg and Moosburg

European Theater of Operations

Appearing Saturday & Sunday
                                                                                                      

Dick Schimmel

SSgt, USA, Radio Operator, Signal Company, Aircraft Warning, Hawaii

Pearl Harbor Survivor

Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations

Appearing all three days
 

John M. Fleming

SSgt, USA, 271st Regt., 69th Div., 2nd Army

Combat Infantryman,  Mechanic

Awarded Two Bronze Stars

Battle of the Bulge, Siegfried Line and Leipzig

European Theater of Operations

Appearing Friday and Sunday
 

Victor Friscia

Gunner's Mate 1st Class, USN, USS LST-341

Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations

Appearing Saturday
 


LST-341
 
Robert Pearce

Aerographer's Mate 1st Class, USN, Fleet Air Wing 10

Weather Observer on a PBY "Catalina".

He flew through the eye of typhoons and participated in 50 missions in the South China Sea searching for crewmembers of downed aircraft.

Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations

Appearing Saturday and Sunday
                                         
Thomas Fitzpatrick

Tech Sergeant, USAAF, 96th Bomb Sqdn, 2nd Bomb Group, 15th Air Force

B-17 Radio Operator based at Amendola, Italy

European Theater of Operations

Appearing Saturday
 
George Focht, Jr.

Sergeant, USA, 49th Bomb Sqdn, 2nd Bomb Group, 15th Air Force

B-17 and B-24 Mechanic in Foggia, Italy

European Theater of Operations

Appearing Friday
 

Victor Marulli

Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class, USN, Underwater Demolition Team #3 (UDT-3)

Bell Diver/Combat Swimmer/Frogman
(forerunner of US Navy Seals)

 Guam, Philippines, Japan

European and Asiatic-Pacific Theaters of Operations

Appearing all three days
 

                                                                                                                                        
                                                      Seabees in UDT 3 made welcome signs for the U.S. Marine Corps on Guam.        

Charles Brooking

USN, Gunner's Mate 2nd Class, MTB RON 16 and MTB RON 42

 Twin .50 Cal. Gunner on PT-223, PT-619, PT-621 and PT-617

Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations

Appearing All Three Days
 

                                                     
                                          PT-223

                                              



PT-617

    
                                                   

Arthur Grabiner

Yeoman 2nd Class, USN, USS Laurens, (APA -153)

Launched Amphibious Assaults, Combated Kamikaze Attacks, Invasions of Lingayen Gulf and Okinawa

Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations

Appearing  Saturday & Sunday
 
       
     USS Laurens (APA-153)
Chuck Kline

BM3, USN, USS Wasatch (AGC-9)

Crewmember on General MacArthur's Command Ship

Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations

Appearing Saturday
 

USS Wasatch

Norris Jernigan

Cpl, USAAF, 393rd Bomb Sqdn. (VH) 509th Composite Group

Responsible for preparation of information required for bombing missions.

Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations

Appearing all three days
 

 

William Myers

Cpl, USA, 114th Combat Engineer Bn., 32nd Infantry Div.

and the 1777 Engineering Construction Bn. in the Philippines

Served with the Occupational Forces in Japan, post-war.

Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations

Appearing Friday
 

 

Ben Berry

CpL (Tech 5), USA, 78th Quartermaster  Bn., 78th Infantry Div., 3rd Army

Landed at Normandy on D-Day +22

Battle of the Bulge veteran

European Theater of Operations

Appearing Sunday
 
                                      

Edward Czechowski

Coxswain, USN, USS Saufley (DD465)

20mm Gunner on a Fletcher Class Destroyer with 16 Battle Battle Stars

Awarded the Silver Star for shooting down a Kamakazi before it could hit his ship.

Pacific Theater of Operations

Appearing Friday and Saturday
 

USS Saufley DD465 at her launching on July 19, 1942 in Kearney, NJ
 

"Bud" Gahs

PFC, USA, 222nd Anti-Tank Co. , 42nd Division, 7th Army

Truck Driver

Ardennes and Rhineland Campaigns

European Theater of Operations

Appearing Friday & Saturday
 

Jake Ruser

PFC, USA, 12th Infantry , 4th Infantry Division, 7th Army

Combat Medic - Landed at Normandy on D-Day

Battle of the Bulge veteran

European Theater of Operations

Appearing Sunday
 

Richard Deverter

PFC, USA, 4th Battalion, 49th Armored Infantry Regt., 8th Armored Division, 3rd Army

Half-Track Driver

Fought in France, Holland and Czechoslovakia & helped liberate two concentration camps

European Theater of Operations

Appearing Friday and Saturday
 

Half-Track

Lou Cinfici

DT1, USMM & USN

Merchant Marine delivered supplies and ammunition at Iwo Jima, Midway and Guadalcanal

Witnessed the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri

Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations

Appearing all three days
 

Japanese surrender aboardu USS Missouri
 

Dorothy Trate

"Rosie the Riveter" Punch Press Operator
Manufactured parts for aircraft and other weapons

Home Front

Appearing Friday
 

Hermann Pfisterer

born in Germany in 1934,  at age 9 he became a member of the  “Deutsches Jungvolk,” (DJ) a  Hitler Youth Group mandatory for boys aged 10 to 14.

Appearing all three days
 
CHECK BACK SOON FOR MORE ADDITIONS TO THIS PAGE

YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE:

WWII Weekend Special Guests and WWII Aircraft are scheduled to attend in the best of faith by all parties.  Unfortunately last minute health concerns, weather factors, and other unexpected issues may prevent a gueats attendance.  Scheduled times and venues are subject to change because of these possibilities.  We apologize if this should occur, however we offer no refunds or reductions.

In some cases an autograph fee may be charged by the Special Guest.

WWII VETERANS - "UNCLE MAAM" WANTS YOU!

If you are interested in being a special guest at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s World War Weekend next year, please contact the museum in writing via email not later than October 1st for consideration at the following June event so that we may create a contact file.  The event is always held the first FULL weekend in June each year.

Special guests are considered for autographs, book or print signings, and as speakers regarding their military or war-effort experiences.  Thank-you.

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