We were visited in January by the Makowski's from Huntsville, Alabama (Rick and Betty) and their daughter, Jennifer Saviano who lives in Ft Lauderdale and works in USCG Sector Miami.  Her husband is a USCG pilot flying HH-65s, so wave next time you see a USCG-Helo fly by!

The Makowski's have strong ties to the Doolittle Raiders and the 8th USAF Historical Association and made the connection with a Doolittle letter inside Herbert A. Weigand's footlocker who was an aircraft mechanic in the 8th USAF. The Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum donated an extra copy of this letter to the Makowski's, and they in turn showed it to a Doolittle Raiders historian who verified it. One of these original letters will be maintained by the 385th Bomb Group of the 8th USAF, as the members of this group had not received the original letter signed by Jimmy Doolittle. A copy of this original will be maintained by the Raiders historical archives in Texas. The Makowski's filled us in on the history and recent background and status of the Raiders and its surviving members, who are planning a final public reunion and goblet ceremony.

We also exchanged notes with the Makowski's on the history of Lt. Alexander R. Nininger (resident of Fort Lauderdale), who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for leading an assault on Japanese positions; and the first American Army soldier to be so honored in the Second World War.  The Makowski's connected us with the National Philippine Scout Heritage Society with which we have been carrying on a dialog to compare notes. Through them we learned that Lt. Nininger's nephew was searching for his remains in the Philippines, less than 2 years ago.

The Makowski's are part of numerous organizations, and also staunch supporters of activities to bring our youth together with their "living history" projects fostering a mutual learning experience, and better citizenship and patriotism among our youth. The North Alabama area formed a coalition of over 52 Veteran's Groups to muster capabilities across all organizations to better the community and Veteran support efforts. 

Visit their website: http://navfoc.org

The Vets Helping Heroes Organization evolved from the Boca West VetDogs Fund, a special fund created by a WWII veteran and a Korean War veteran from Florida. Their goal is to provide the financial support for assistance dogs trained by certified professionals for veterans who have served honorably and active duty military personnel injured during service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

These Assistance dogs provide independence and service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In addition, they are a source of much needed enjoyment as beloved "family members" - running with children, providing comfort for spouses, and the security of knowing that they can even provide such services as predicting an oncoming seizure.



Vets Helping Heroes strives to raise funds to meet the ever-growing needs of veterans and active duty military personnel who experience visual, physical, and/or emotional trauma. Requests from disabled heroes range from dual-trained dogs for balance/stability (physical therapy), retrieval, responders to alarms, and assistance with activities of independent living to Trekker GPS training to therapy dogs for active military personnel - providing emotional support for those who have PTSD and other combat-related challenges.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge

Attention DAV Chapter 133 Members:

DAV Chapter 133 is holding a fundraiser for the James Suh Memorial Scholarship. This fundraiser also supports Deerfield Beach High School Students and honors Seal Team 1, many of whom died in a chopper crash in Afghanistan.

This viewing will take place at Paragon Theaters in Deerfield Beach on Wednesday, January 15th at 6pm.  They will have a 50/50 drawing, wine wagon raffle, and a silent auction.  Movie tickets for Lone Survivor are $15 and the movie will start at 7pm.  The theater has a bar and serves food, so feel free to come early. Those of you unfamiliar with James Suh, he graduated from Deerfield Beach High School in 1995 and the University of Florida in 1999, and went on to become a Navy SEAL and was killed in action in 2005 http://navyseals.com/nsw/james-suh/.  The movie Lone Survivor is about  a mission that SEAL Team One was on and how James and many other SEALs lost their lives in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban.

The James Suh Memorial Scholarship is awarded to DBHS seniors in the amount of $1,000, based on GPA, strength of classes, extracurricular activities, community service, and interest in serving in the military.  If you cannot make the event but would like to make a donation, they can be sent to the Pompano Beach Exchange Club, Attn: James Suh Memorial Scholarship, PO Box 672, Pompano Beach, FL  33061.  The Pompano Beach Exchange Club manages the scholarship fund in a trust and is a 501c3 charitable organization. 

We hope to see many of you there!

Check the Trailer:  http://youtu.be/sPqLD_UhfJc

The Alabama Center of Military History Inc., which operates The Veterans Memorial Museum, is a non-profit, tax exempt (501c3) educational institution for the purpose of historical preservation, public display, and public education.  This Museum is dedicated to promoting and disseminating the accomplishments of American military men and women. The emphasis is on participants of World War I and subsequent conflicts, whose survivors and families can use the Museum facilities to reminisce on their own experiences and those of parents, grandparents, and other close relatives.  The Museum has been designated by the Alabama House of Representatives as the State of Alabama Veterans Memorial Museum. The Veterans Memorial Museum displays more than 30 historical military vehicles from World War I to the present, as well as tableaus, artifacts, and other memorabilia dating back to the Revolutionary War.

Philippine Scouts Heritage Society
Learn about this heritage society and its mission of preserving the history, heritage and legacy of the Philippine Scouts for present and future generations.

Heritage of Valor: A History of the Philippine Scouts
by John Manguso, Director of the Ft. Sam Houston Museum

This amazing document not only celebrates the Centennial of the Philippine Scouts, it also contains a treasure trove of information and vintage photos throughout PS’ history.

Download this E-book and take a look!
(47 pages)

Malcolm Barker USNR WWII, PB4Y-2 Navigator, & Edgar "Buddy" Galvin USNR WWII, B-24 Liberator Navigator, participated in the search for Flight 19. Malcolm Barker was aboard a PB4Y-2 Privateer, on which its crew spent 8 hours on 6 Dec, 1945, searching for Flight 19 out of Master Field, Miami. Buddy Galvin was an Instructor at NAS Miami (Opa-locka), and with his crew searched for 3 days. Below, is the Log Book of Malcolm Barker showing his participation in the search.

Photographs from NAS Fort Lauderdale WWII
from Roy J. Urbanek USNR WWII, TBM/TBF Gunner

Click on thumbnail to enlarge