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JBSA News
NEWS | Oct. 30, 2017

Amazing things at JBSA air show not limited to aerial performances

By Robert Goetz 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

While eyes are trained on the sky for spectacular aerial performances this weekend during the 2017 Joint Base San Antonio Air Show and Open House at JBSA Lackland Kelly Field Annex, ground level will offer its own amazing attractions to air show visitors.

From distinguished guests who epitomized the role of the Army Air Corps in World War II to recruiters representing the armed services of today, the Air Force’s past and present will be celebrated on the air show’s grounds.

These are just some of the amazing people and organizations that shouldn’t be missed.     

Distinguished guests

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Dick Cole is an authentic American hero, the last surviving member of the legendary Doolittle Raiders who flew 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers to execute a surprise attack on Japan on April 18, 1942. Cole, co-pilot of Aircraft No. 1 with Doolittle, recalled his role with humility during a 74th anniversary observance of the daring raid at JBSA-Randolph last year: “We were both there and we both knew what we needed to do – him more than me, of course. I was just a brand new second lieutenant and at that time in the military, second lieutenants were to be seen and not heard, but we were all part of his team.”            

Retired Senior Master Sgt. James Bynum and Theodore Johnson were members of the Tuskegee Airmen, the pioneering World War II-era all-black Army Air Corps unit that overcame racial prejudice and stereotypes to excel as bomber escorts during sorties and missions in Europe and North Africa. Bynum, who grew up in Philadelphia and now lives in San Antonio, retired from the Air Force in 1971 after a 30-year career. Johnson, a Mobile, Alabama, native, who also lives in San Antonio, served in Europe during the war starting in April 1944, first in Scotland and England. He was sent to Omaha Beach in Normandy on a tank landing ship about three months later, journeying across France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. Both are members of the San Antonio Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc.

Another pioneering group also will be represented at the air show. The Women Airforce Service Pilots were formed in 1943 as a merger of the Women in the Air Force and Women’s Flying Training Detachment. WASP was based at airfields throughout the United States for duties ranging from serving as test pilots to ferrying aircraft.           

Order of Daedalians

The Daedalians, based at JBSA-Randolph, preserve the memory of the American military aviation pioneers – the more than 14,100 World War I pilots who were commissioned as officers no later than the armistice of Nov. 11, 1918 – and are dedicated to objectives such as promoting air and space power in support of national defense, educating Americans about the advantages of air and space power and recognizing exceptional performance by military aviators. At the air show, the Daedalians will provide information about scholarships, flight training and membership in the organization and also will hand out fun items.

Buffalo Soldiers
The Bexar County Buffalo Soldiers’ Association is a multicultural organization dedicated to educating the public about the history of the Buffalo Soldiers and black Indian scouts who contributed to the settling of the western United States in the 19th century. Attired in period uniform each day of the air show, association members will present the colors during the air show’s opening ceremony at 10 a.m. Sunday and answer questions at their booth in Hangar 1610 throughout the two-day event. A display of period artifacts will also be featured.

National Museum of the Pacific War

Based in Fredericksburg, Texas, the National Museum of the Pacific War preserves and exhibits the material history of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz as well as the history of the war in the Pacific-Asiatic Theater during World War II. During the air show, the museum will display a “Follow Me” Army Air Corps Jeep and infantry weapons used throughout the war by American and Japanese forces. In addition, a table will be dedicated to the Marine Corps assault team, children will be able to try on combat gear and a vocal trio, the Dillard Sisters, will sing songs popularized by the Andrews Sisters during World War II.

Joint participation

JBSA military organizations will be well-represented at booths and displays during the air show, including recruiters from all armed services; the Navy’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics initiative; Navy medical units; and Army North.