the full lineup of World War II heroes participating in a historic panel discussion during the Arsenal of Democracy Victory Gala, which is the kickoff event of the National 75th WWII Commemoration program, has been announced. The gala will provide a unique opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of WWII experiences from the heroes themselves. This event precedes the May 8th WWII Memorial ceremony to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe and the historic Arsenal of Democracy Flyover of the National Mall featuring 100 WWII aircraft in formations sequenced to commemorate major battles fought on the land, sea and in the air in both the European and Pacific theaters of operation.
Award-winning broadcast journalist David Hartman will lead the discussions between two panels of WWII heroes. The first panel will focus on the European Theater and panelists will include – Brigadier General Charles McGee (U.S. Army Air Forces and USAF), Colonel Bud Anderson (U.S. Army Air Forces and USAF), Lieutenant Colonel David Hamilton (U.S. Army Air Forces and USAF) and Flight Sergeant Bob Middleton (Royal Canadian Air Force). The second panel will focus on the war in the Pacific Theater.
Panelists will include an original Rosie the Riveter – Connie Palacioz, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Vaucher (U.S. Army Air Corps, U.S. Army Air Forces and USAF), Commander Dean Laird (U.S. Navy) and Sergeant Paul Hilliard (U.S. Marine Corps).
The Arsenal of Democracy Victory Gala will honor, remember and celebrate the heroes who fought and served in the global conflict in the air, on land and sea, those who worked and sacrificed on the home front, and those who suffered the horrors of the Holocaust. This event will take place in the historic Signature Flight Support Hangar 7 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday, May 7, 2020. Individual seating and tables for the gala are available for purchase at https://ww2flyover.org/gala.
For more information on the Arsenal of Democracy and the 75th World War II Victory Commemoration Flyover, please visit the following websites:
https://www.75thwwiicommemoration.org/ and https://ww2flyover.org/about-the-flyover.
