Saturday, Sunday in Peachtree City
The D-Day Squadron, part of the Tunison Foundation, and the U.S. Army Golden Knights aerial demonstration team will be participating in World War II Heritage Days weekend in Peachtree City April 27-28.
World War II Heritage Days is hosted by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Dixie Wing at Atlanta Regional Airport (Falcon Field) in Peachtree City. The weekend event will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in Europe.
The event, WWII Heritage Days, will feature a completely immersive experience including reenactors, authentic vehicle and equipment displays, warbird rides and a demonstration by the Liberty Jump Team.
“Our goal this year is to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the invasion of Normandy,” stated Jim Buckley, leader of the all-volunteer CAF Dixie Wing. “We hope the sights and sounds will inspire people of all ages and walks of life to connect with the legacy of The Greatest Generation.”
One of this year’s special highlights will be the Liberty jump team, commemorative jumpers using static-line round parachutes to honor and remember the veterans of World War II and all wars. This team is comprised of Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard members, with peacetime and combat service ranging from Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Haiti, Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We extremely proud to have this elite jump team perform a demonstration using aircraft from our Squadron,” declared Moreno Aguiari, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the D-Day Squadron. “The CAF C-47 That’s All Brother led the wave of the main paratrooper force to cross into Normandy the night of June 5th, 1944, and we’re going to see this historic aircraft dropping paratroopers yet again. And this is just a teaser of things to come with major events happening in just over a month.”
The record-setting U.S. Army Golden Knights aerial demonstration team will also display its acclaimed parachuting skills at the event. The team performs at more than 100 events per year and has earned 2,148 gold, 1,117 silver, and 693 bronze medals in national and international competition. Team members also have set 348 world records.
With close to 70 veterans of the Second World War attending this year, WWII Heritage Days is the largest annual 1940s theme event in Georgia. Throughout the weekend, more than 500 volunteers will conduct special events such as Allied and Axis troops in reenactment battles, 1940s music shows, veteran and historian presentations, education displays and activities for children. Saturday evening, the romance and glamor of the Big Band Era will return with “Keep ‘em Flying,” a 1940s-theme hangar dance in the CAF Dixie Wing Warbird Museum.. The U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence Band (MCoE Band)) from Fort Benning, Ga., will perform big band music at 1 p.m. Sunday.
About the D-Day Squadron
The D-Day Squadron is the part of the Tunison Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization. In June 2019, the D-Day Squadron will lead an American fleet of historic, restored C-47 World War II military aircraft in Daks Over Normandy, a flyover of more than 30 international aircraft to drop 250 paratroopers over the original 1944 drop zones in Normandy commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day. The event will honor the citizen soldiers of the War, whose bravery led the Allies to the liberation of France, and then to an end of the devastating War in Europe. The Squadron’s education program takes the compelling story of the citizen soldier to audiences at airshows and events off the flight line to honor these brave Americans and ensure their memory and significance is appreciated for generations to come. The group’s efforts are funded through the generous tax-deductible contribution of their supporters. Learn more at DDaySquadron.org.
About CAF Dixie Wing
The Commemorative Air Force Dixie Wing was granted a Provisional Charter on February 28, 1987, and a Wing Charter No. 48 on January 30, 1989. It has since displayed its collection of vintage World War II era aircraft at numerous airshows throughout the Southeast. The wing is a non-profit, tax-exempt “flying museum” that depends on contributions of time and funds to carry out its mission. Commemorative Air Force Dixie Wing is located at the Atlanta Regional Airport in Peachtree City, GA.
The Wing is composed by 200 volunteers and operates a P-51D Mustang, a FG-1D Corsair, one of the three flying SBD-5 Dauntless in the world, a P-63 Kingcobra, a T-6 Texan, a PT-19 Cornel and a T-34 mentor. The wing is a non-profit, tax-exempt “flying museum” that depends on contributions of time and funds to carry out its mission. The CAF Dixie Wing is the only Flying Museum located in the proximity of the city of Atlanta.
