In The News
Living Legends of World War II are honored at the Stuart Air Show
By: Lauren Koff
STUART — A special highlight at this year’s Stuart Air Show on Nov. 13 and 14 were the speakers and displays at the Living Legends Tent sponsored by Crown Car Care. Volunteers of the Stuart Air Show, including Todd Harris and Mark Smith of Crown Car Care, coordinated the activities in the tent.
Since their involvement with the Stuart Air Show last year, Smith and Harris have been involved with the Road to Victory Military Museum, the non-profit organization associated with the Stuart Air Show and the Honor Flight of Southeast Florida. Both men were guardians on the September 24 flight to Washington, DC. and they are passionate about raising funds for the program.
Donations were accepted for the Honor Flight of Southeast Florida during the weekend in a unique canister fashioned out of an old bomb. They were able to raise more than $3,000 for the Honor Flight and are still accepting donations at Crown Car Care. If you would care to make a donation, please call Mark Smith at 772-287-4244.
“It is such an amazing experience for the veterans to travel to Washington, D.C. and see the memorials dedicated to their honor and service. It costs $400 to take one veteran on the trip and we want to raise money so every veteran can go,” commented Todd.
Last year the duo built a replica of part of the nose art of the Memphis Belle aircraft just in time for the air show. WWII veterans were able to sign the piece, which was later displayed in a variety of public locations. The piece was then donated to the Road to Victory Military Museum in Stuart; the museum’s support and volunteers are an essential part of the success of the Air Show.
The veterans that spoke included: Sid Katz, 8th Air Force, B-24 pilot; Warren Klein, 8th Air Force, B-24 pilot; Ed Wilen, B-24 pilot, Arthur Jentings, a B-27 pilot and prisoner of war, WASP Barry Smith from Sebring, Florida; John Kavanewsky, fought in the Battle of the Bulge; Bill Uphoff, 8th Air Force Association (Florida Chapter President) and a pilot named Santiago Perez, who defected from the Cuban Air Force and came to south Florida.
Nicholas Apostol of Palm City was also part of the discussions and talked about his new book, Boo- Boo and The General, the untold love story of his mother and former Stuart resident, Mary Hall Caine, a Red Cross volunteer in wartime England and war hero Lt. General Frank Armstrong. Armstrong led the first daylight raid ever made by the US Air Force over Axis territory and the last strategic bombing in 1945 on Japan. Armstrong’s missions and his role in the war, were the basis for the central figure in the book and movie 12 o’clock High in which he was portrayed by Gregory Peck.
The Living Legends tent also had WWII era vehicles, uniforms, memorabilia and artillery on display. For more information or to donate to the Honor Flight please contact Crown Car Care at 772-287-4244.
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