by Noella Noelophile®
(Royalty-free image by DWilliam from Pixabay.)
We interrupt these Christmas-season posts to acknowledge the freedom behind them.
Freedom of speech (with the responsibility, of course, not to misuse it!) and freedom of the press (see the previous responsibility).
And the reasons for this freedom: our brave veterans and members of the armed forces. (Plus their families who love and support them.)
As always, here is a completely-inadequate message for anyone who has served, or is serving, as well as their families.
Thank you.
Now, would you like to know one way to celebrate our veterans, this Veterans Day, Friday, November 11th?
The Aerospace Museum of California, in Sacramento, has a special invitation for you.
A salute to our heroes
From 10 am to 2 pm this Friday, they’re hosting their “Veterans Day Open Cockpit”, to honor and salute our veterans.
Guests get to explore their 4 acre Outdoor Air Park and see open fighter jet cockpits and aircraft interiors. Those will include the famous D-Day C-53 “Skytrooper”, which delivered paratroopers during World War II.
In remembrance, at 11:00 that morning, the Museum will host a wreath-laying ceremony in their Memorial Plaza.
In addition, visitors can learn the history of our aircraft from the indoor exhibits.
History and bravery
And this Friday ONLY, the Aerospace Museum offers a don’t-miss history lesson, as they host the African Americans in Aviation History Traveling Exhibit.
Envisioned and curated by Chauncey Spencer II, the exhibit is open from 10 am to 3 pm on Veterans Day at the California Aerospace Museum.
Chauncey Spencer II is the son of an aviation pioneer.
His father, Chauncey Spencer, was one of two pilots who flew the Goodwill Flight of 1939. With Dale L. White Sr., Chauncey Spencer flew from Chicago to Washington D.C. Their mission: to advocate for African American participation in flight training and military services in the Army Air Corps.
They were successful.
Wings of valor
(Royalty-free image by RENE RAUSCHENBERGER from Pixabay.)
The men convinced then-Senator Harry S. Truman to support funding to include Blacks in the pre-World War II Civilian Pilot Training program.
Ultimately these efforts led to the creation of the Tuskegee Institute flight school in Alabama, where the first Black United States Army Air Corps combat pilots were trained.
“There would be no Tuskegee Airmen, no Red Tails without Chauncey and Dale White. They paved the way for Black pilots and astronauts,” stated Tom Jones, Executive Director of the Museum, in a recent press release.
Among the items you’ll see in the African Americans in Aviation History traveling exhibit, are artifacts from African American Aviators including the Tuskegee Airmen. This event is free with the purchase of a museum admission ticket.
If you’re in the Sacramento area on Friday, here’s your chance to honor the best among us–and their legacy.