Commemorative Air Force
Aviation Museum
2017 N. Greenfield
Road • Mesa, Arizona 85215
www.azcaf.org
Telephone: (480)
332-6046
Rick Senffner
pio@azcaf.org
PRESS RELEASE October
10, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A Gathering of Legends
Veterans Day Open House at the Commemorative Air Force Aviation
Museum
November 11, 2008
Join
the Commemorative Air Force Aviation Museum on Tuesday, November 11 for ‘A
Gathering of Legends’ Veterans Day Open House at the Commemorative Air Force
Aviation Museum, as we remember and say, “Thank You” to our Veterans.
For more than thirty years, the Commemorative
Air Force's Arizona Wing has honored the courageous men and women who
sacrificed so much to preserve our heritage of liberty and freedom. The public
is cordially invited to attend ‘A Gathering of Legends’ on Veteran's Day, 11
November, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. to give thanks to these heroes,
past and present. Military aviation veterans including Tuskegee Airmen, Women
Airforce Service Pilots (WASPS), Fighter and Bomber Crews, Aces and others will
gather in our museum to relate their experiences in WWII, Korea, Vietnam and
the Cold War. Come and thank these people for what they have done to protect our
freedom. Veterans
Day is an important time to remember our veterans and to keep the history alive
for future generations. Museum Director Larry Turner says, “The
significance for the ‘Gathering of Legends’ is that the public is invited to
talk to these veterans and get their first hand account. These accounts will
span from the 1940s through the 1970s”.
The
‘Gathering of Legends’ will be held at the Commemorative Air Force Aviation
Museum (CAF) located at Falcon Field Airport, Mesa, AZ. The CAF Museum is
located at 2017 N. Greenfield Rd. Doors open 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Like sentinels frozen in time, hulking bombers and
sleek fighter jets stand side-by-side in the Commemorative Air Force Aviation
Museum, reminders of campaigns fading now even for those who once flew and
fought. For many air combat veterans and history enthusiasts, the search for
the past ends at the home of the Arizona wing of the Commemorative Air Force.
It’s a place where vintage warplanes are not only displayed, but maintained and
flown. “You can go to the Smithsonian Institute and some of the other aviation
museums and you can look at the aircraft, but you can’t go in them and see them
fly,” said Rick Senffner, the Arizona group’s Wing Leader. “For the public,
it’s a way to get a history lesson shown to them in real life. The aircraft
aren’t just sitting static in a museum somewhere our aircraft fly. Our aircraft
truly are flying museums but also flying memorials to the men and women that
built and flew these aircraft and for the many that did not return.
Warbirds on display
for this Veteran’s Day event include the B-17 Flying Fortress “Sentimental
Journey”, B-25 Mitchell Bomber, F4U Corsair, North American T-6 Trainers,
Stearmans, and many more... This event will be an educational exhibit
displaying our history for all ages to see, and honoring all of our veterans.
Some of the displays on exhibit will include; ‘The B-17 Chow Hound Honors Fallen Airmen’ and
the 91st Bomb Group, the Tuskegee Airmen, Flying Tigers, and The
China Burma India Theater to name a few.
Admission
Price - Ages 13-Adult $10.00, Seniors 62 and older $9.00, Ages 5-12 $3.00, Ages 5 & under Free and includes tours
through the B-17 Sentimental Journey, and Museum. Admission is free to our Veterans on Veterans
Day. Rides are available on WWII T6 Trainer and gift certificates may be
purchased for flights on Sentimental Journey or other warbirds. The museums
gift shop has many aviation gifts available for that unique gift. Food and drinks will be available.
The
Arizona Wing, CAF is a 501c3 non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to
preserving historic aircraft, artifacts and our history. All proceeds benefit Sentimental Journey, and
our other aircraft and our Flying Museum and all of museum’s mechanics, pilots and docents are
volunteers. For more information on The Commemorative Air Force Aviation
Museum please call 480-924-1940 or www.azcaf.org
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