LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Lubbock will honor the men who helped make the D-Day invasion possible this weekend.
82 years ago this week, hundreds of thousands of soldiers were preparing to invade Europe. Operation Overlord was the largest military operation of its kind and represented the Allies’ best chance to stop the Nazi war machine.
Before the troops could hit the beaches, American and British gliders had to lay the groundwork for success in northern France.
“They’re bringing in what’s needed behind enemy lines in the first few hours of that invasion,” said Sharon McCullar of the Silent Wings Museum.
Working with paratroopers and Pathfinder commandos, they formed a defensive perimeter around Normandy and supplied the invasion for weeks. By the end of June, more than 850,000 troops had moved into France, bringing with them 148,000 vehicles and 570,000 tons of supplies.
“We have this great connection here at the museum because so many of our glider pilots flew in to help equip our guys for that D-Day invasion,” said Tanis Blount of the Silent Wings Museum.
In the years leading up to the invasion, these pilots trained in Lubbock.
Now, the Silent Wings Museum will honor their service, sacrifice and dedication.
“Those stories teach us to one be thankful for what we have and two inspire us to be more than we are currently,” Blount said.
This weekend, curator Sharon McCullar, educator Tanis Blount and a team of experts will share their stories and recognize their achievements. McCullar built this month’s featured exhibit, titled “From a Grateful Nation,” around the commendations, awards, and medals the glider pilots earned throughout their careers.
“11 glider pilots earned an individual Silver Star for their actions on the ground, a couple of them posthumously,” McCullar said, gesturing at the iconic military award for merit inside a case. “They already did what they were trained to do then either sacrificed their life on the ground in defensive of others or made above and beyond the call of duty in defense of others.”
Some volunteers from the Texas Air Museum in Slaton will help with the showcase. Malcolm Laing, a former director and life-long pilot, said they’re bringing some planes of that era to Lubbock, allowing families to get a first hand look at the real machines that made it possible.
Laing gave us a sweeping tour through the entire museum, indicating the different planes and exhibits it houses. The Texas Air Museum catalogues the history of flight, from both world wars through the Cold War, even spaceflight.
“‘White 43′ over here,” Laing said, gesturing at an L-2M ‘Grasshopper’ sitting in a hangar at the air museum. “It actually served at South Plains Army Air Field.”
That particular aircraft crashed during training in 1943, but it’s been restored for use as a training aircraft for any pilot looking to fly vintage airframes.
“The blue airplane is an L4,” Laing gestured to another aircraft in the same hangar. “It was used all over Europe, you saw them flying over the beaches of Normandy.”
Other appearances this weekend, weather permitting, nclude a C-47 ‘Southern Cross’ from the Greatest Generation Aircraft and World War II era aircraft from Blue Sky Airfield.
These museums and their supporters want families to have a shared experience.
“Each person in that family is taking something different then they process it together in a group, and I think that long-term memory of that, as a family experience, is really what sets the day apart,” Blount said.
Schedule of events:
11:00 a.m. (Hangar Gallery) – Playing of the National Anthem
11:05 a.m. (Theater) – Eisenhower’s Address to the Troops
11:30 a.m. (Hangar Gallery) – D-Day Moments – A Guided Experience
1:00 p.m. (Hangar Gallery) – Weapons Demonstration
1:30 p.m. (Hangar Gallery) – D-Day Moments – A Guided Experience
2:00 p.m. (Hangar Gallery) – Packing the Musette Bag Demonstration
The Silent Wings Museum will stay open from from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both days.
The Texas Air Museum is open Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It’s volunteer only and supported entirely by donations.
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