​Veterans remember their time overseas during Aviation Day​

Author: Andrew Scheinthal
Published: Updated:

LEE COUNTY, Fla. – Aviation Day at Page Field Airport brings back memories for some veterans.

“I was in school at Keesler Air Force Base learning to be a radar mechanic,” said Gerald Holmes.

Holmes, who goes by Jerry, served in the Korean War but lives in Cape Coral now. Saturday’s event brought back memories of his years overseas.

“We used a B26 and B29 in Korea.”

This year, the event featured several aircrafts including, a North American B-25J Mitchell, a North American P-51 Mustang and a Douglas C-47 Skytrain. The B-25J was an American twin-engine WWII bomber. The P-51 Mustang was a WWII fighter plane. Both aircrafts trained at Page Field. The C-47 Skytrain was a U.S. Army Air Force military transport aircraft that participated in the Normandy invasion.

“Planes then, of course, couldn’t land on an aircraft carrier, so they continued to fly on into China, where we lost most of the planes,” said Holmes.

“I think it brings back a lot of memories, and a lot of history, and they like to share that with their family and their friends,” said Barbara-Anne Urrutia, with the Lee County Port Authority.

Holmes walked around the B-25 twin engine bomber, breaking down each compartment, and even recalling where he sat.

“In the waist position, where the waist gunner and who was also the radio operator sat.”

Aviation Day was hosted by Lee County Port Authority. Admission was free, but the community was asked to bring a non-perishable food item. All donations will go to the Harry Chapin Food Bank.

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