Don C. is an 89-year-old WWII Veteran who lives in Denver, CO. Don served in the Mighty Eighth Air Force stationed in Attlebridge, England where, as a Second Lieutenant Aircraft Commander, he was the first pilot in command of an 11 man B-24 bomber crew. His crew flew one of the first practice missions over Europe and then were trained and scheduled to fly in an attack on Japan. Fortunately, the war ended before that battle ever took place and Don was placed in charge of flying his crew’s B-24 back to the US. After being discharged from the army, Don took advantage of the GI bill and returned to Penn State University to complete his degree in civil engineering. After his time in the Air Force, Don has particularly enjoyed seeing the military and aeronautic museums of the US and always made a point to stop in to see the local museums when he traveled with his wife. Don has been a longtime supporter of two museums in particular, the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Pooler, Georgia and the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. Don had never visited either of these two museums and his Wish of a Lifetime was to experience them in person.
In commemoration of Don’s service, on November 1, 2013, Wish of a Lifetime sent him and his companion Rosemary to visit the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force and the National World War II Museum with the support of Reverse Mortgage Solutions’ sponsorship. Don’s trip started in Pooler, GA where he received a special tour of the Mighty Eighth Museum. From there he went to New Orleans, LA to spend a full day touring the National WWII museum, see their special films and attractions, and even record an oral history interview for them. That evening Don attended a formal cocktail party where he met some of the sponsors of his wish.
In between all of his museum tours, Don even found time to take tours of the historic cities of Savannah and New Orleans! Don told us he enjoyed every part of his trip and that everyone he met was kind and went out of their way to make his Wish special. Special thanks to Craig of the National WWI Museum, Heather of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum, Casey of the Holiday Inn and Suites – Pooler, and Jonathan of Clarus Photography!
