You can now donate to the Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum through AmazonSmile.Org!   AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. The difference is that when customers shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers.

New Artifacts expand Profile of Flight 19 and Uncover One Family's Military Legacy

Pfc. William Earl Lightfoot came from a long family line of military men and women serving during the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Three members of the Lightfoot family would disappear while in service. William Earl Lightfoot was a Flight 19 crewmember aboard one of five planes that would vanish over the Atlantic on December 5, 1945. In a separate incident in 1944, his brother Eugene-- a 2nd Lieutenant with the U.S Air Corps-- was shot down in his plane, over the British Straits. William and Eugene were never found.

William was born in 1926 in Clayton, New Mexico, to Ora Lee & John Arnold Lightfoot (a Highway Engineer serving in both WWI and WWII). Ora and John had 6 children: Wanda, Geraldine and Norma, and boys Claude, Eugene and William.

In 1943 William joined the U.S Marine Corps in Lexington, Illinois. He continued with advanced training in TBM Avenger aircraft at the Naval Air Gunners School in NAS Miami (last recorded date was November 9, 1945). He was then transferred to NAS Fort Lauderdale just before his disappearance with Flight 19.  Pfc. William E. Lightfoot, 19 years old, was the only crewman besides the Pilot-- 2nd Lt. Forrest Gerber USMCR-- aboard a TBM-1C Avenger (FT-81 from NAS Fort Lauderdale). Flight 19 remains as one of the great aviation mysteries.

From Mrs. Claudia Lightfoot-Doyle, Niece of William E. Lightfoot:

Sunday, March 16, 2014

"My name is Claudia Lightfoot-Doyle and I am 61 years old.  William Lightfoot was my uncle (My dad's brother). One sibling is still living at age 77, Norma Jean (Lightfoot) Hayes. My brother, William Eugene Lightfoot, alive and living with my husband and I, is named after my father's two brothers lost in WWII (Eugene) and post WWII (William, with Flight 19).  Eugene was a pilot shot down over the British Straits, and like his brother William was never found. My father Claude, was the only one (of the Lightfoot brothers) that came home alive from the war. Norma, my brother and myself are the only living Lightfoot's left of this family line of my grandmother Ora Lee (McMinn) and John Arnold Lightfoot.
  
Anyway, I have some documents and pictures recently located in some of my grandmother's possessions. I have the actual funeral program for the 14 men lost, and pictures of the room where the memorial was held. One with it empty, and the other filled with people during the commencement of the memorial. It shows 14 American flags on the stage. There are two pictures-- I would imagine is William's flight crew-- with their plane, and a picture of just the plane. I have the original certificate issued to my grandmother (like a death certificate) from the military, stating he was lost at sea December 5, 1945.  I have pictures of William as well.
 
My father learned of his brother's disappearance on a ship, when he was coming home from the European theater-- when they announced it. How horrible to learn that way!  My family bled red, white and blue, let me tell ya. My mother Sara, was a Rosie-the-Riveter working at Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach, CA. She is still living at age 89. She riveted the wings. Her first husband was killed in WWII. She was 18 then (they were only together for 2 weeks when he was deployed). He was lost in the USS Scorpion submarine, never found as well. It went down off the South Pacific near Japan. He is listed at the war memorial in the Manila American Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippines. His name was Jack Townsend."
 
Regards,
Claudia Lightfoot-Doyle

Artifacts donated by the Lightfoot Family
are on Exhibit now at this Museum

Lightfoot Family Military Legacy

- Click on arrows to view Slideshow -
Exhibit curated and prepared by Minerva Bloom for the NASFL Museum

Mom's WWII Story
March 19, 2014

"Sara Lou (Strader) married Jack Townsend July 31, 1943 when she was 18. They were only together for 2 weeks when he was deployed during World War II. He was lost in the USS Scorpion submarine that went down off the South Pacific, near Japan. He was never found as well. Sara later married my father, Claude Arnold Lightfoot (brother of Flight 19's William Lightfoot) on May 22, 1946. Here is the article about my mom. In the picture with all the other Rosie's, my mom is in the back row, left. She's holding  her riveter wearing white gloves and a blue sweater shirt with a white collar. She was 18 and much younger than the rest of the women. The photo may have come from files at Boeing which used to be Douglas Aircraft in CA, later renamed McDonnell Douglas (then Boeing took over). After the war, my father Claude worked at the same factory for 30 years."

Regards,
Claudia Lightfoot-Doyle

TBM-1C Avenger, Pilot's Stick Donated by Aviation Historian Jon Myhre

March 7, 2014

This is the pilot's stick that Project 19 salvaged from the TBM-1C Avenger that was raised off Cape Canaveral on August 13, 1991. We thought (and hoped) it was FT-117 from Flight 19, but later found out it was a plane (Navy Bureau No. 45798) from NAS Miami. The salvage operation involved several ships, a submersible, hundreds of personnel and a film crew from Unsolved Mysteries. It was a three day event. The documentary was aired on September 11, 1991.

Expedition by Jon Myhre
Pilot USA Vietnam, Aviation Historian

View below the slide-show from the Project 19 Expedition

Project 19 Expedition
TBM-1C Avenger that was raised off Cape Canaveral on August 13, 1991.
 Images below, submitted by The Paragon Agency, Publishers: www.SpecialBooks.com

Harry Blake a former U.S Marine corporal, now with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, donated the following artifacts:

• Framed photographs of WWII with descriptions of U.S Marines in action.
• USS Lake Champlain patch
• Photograph of USS Lake Champlain at sea.
• USS Lake Champlain Association newsletters.
• History of the USS Lake Champlain.
• Metal signs from the USS Lake Champlain.

Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum member, CAPT. Franklyn E. Dailey, Jr., USNR (Ret) DBA, is the author of many books. He has donated the following books to the NASFL Museum's Library:

Joining the War at Sea 1939-1945: A Destroyer's Role in World War II Naval Convoys and Invasion Landings

Franklyn E. Dailey, Jr., takes the reader back to two challenging U.S. Navy missions in World War II. First, he offers a participant's view of the defense of convoys against German U-boats. Then, as his destroyer's primary mission changed, he brings the reader to a live-action view of five amphibious landing force operations - Casablanca, Sicily, Salerno, Anzio and Southern France. Churchill and Roosevelt had made defeat of Germany a priority ahead of the defeat of Japan. For Normandy to be successful, the Allies had to assure a supply line to the British Isles and then wrest back control of the Mediterranean from Germany. Army Divisions, Rangers, warships, attack transports and combatant aircraft, many with prominent unit names, are found in this book. Dailey also outlines the wartime geopolitical background, which will give the reader a good grasp of the larger picture of the action experienced by sea warriors in W.W.II.

Available at Amazon

The Triumph of Instrument Flight: A Retrospective in the Century of U.S. Aviation

by Franklyn E. Dailey, Jr.
The years 1921-31 saw U.S. aviation marking its first quarter century with record after record demonstrating the speed and reliability of aircraft and the developed skill of pilots who flew them. By 1929, the technology was greatly advanced beyond the fragile craft and the sputtering engine of the Wright Brothers. The ultimate tribute to them was the fact their aircraft, its engine and its controls proved to be the foundation for aviation. In 1932-35, technology and pilot skill breached weather's wall with the ability to fly instruments. A breakthrough flight control system, first demonstrated in 1929, had to be deconstructed to put the pilot into the knowledge loop. The result was a trio of pilot flight instruments that serve aviation to this day.

Available at Amazon
Visit Franklyn E. Dailey, Jr., Official Website

Linda Lee Granger, in memory of Mr. Leonard Zanky and Anita Zanky, donated the following artifacts:

• WWII Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Pillow Sham
• Complete WWII wool Navy uniform set.
• Silk tie and white sailor's hat.
• NASFL Historical Association member hat.
• Commemorative plaque of NAS New York Reunion, 1995.
• Memorial flag of Leonard Zanky Aviation Machinist Mate First Class MM1C USNR.

Jess Karcher, a Police Service Aide, with the City of Fort Lauderdale, is an avid collector of WWII artifacts.
He donated the following items:

• 8 military books with WWII themes.  
  
• 3 WWII gas masks, each with kit & bag.
  
• 2 WWII wool US Navy uniforms, and one white sailor's hat.
  
• 1 US wool Navy peacoat.
  
• 1 USMC combat shirt.
  
• 4 WWII ammunition belts.
  
• 4 WWII helmets.
  
• 1 Marine training hat.
  
• 1 Camo poncho.
  

Maureen Campbell Clark & Kenneth Campbell, relatives of Walter R. Parpart, Jr., donated the following artifacts relating to Flight 19:

• Original Aviators Flight Log Book, with all pages, belonging to Flight 19 crewman Walter Reed Parpart, Jr., Seaman First Class, United States Navy Reserve.
• Seven black and white photographs of Walter and friends, taken at Fort Lauderdale's New River, and friends at the NAS Fort Lauderdale naval base, circa 1945.
• Four original pages from correspondence to Mrs. Parpart, typewritten. Two of them hand-signed by Katherine Taylor (Charles Taylor's mother). Dated November 25, 1946 and December 18, 1950.
• One original page from Katherine Taylor to J.W. Prince, a treasure hunter from Florida. Dated November 7, 1950.
  
• One original page from J.W. Prince answering Mrs. Taylor. Undated.
• Four original pages from Mr. Neal Gorman (engaged in scientific authorship and research during the 1940's), in answer to Mr. Walter Parpart, Sr., dated December 26, 1947.
• A Presidential Citation "In Grateful Memory" of Walter R. Parpart, Jr., hand-signed by President Harry Truman.
  
  

"The Lone Sailor"

Mixed media: watercolor and line drawing by Architect Paul Bradley presented to the Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum. Paul Bradley was a Sargent in the U.S. Army during World War II.


This painting was inspired by The Lone Sailor a 1987 bronze sculpture, a tribute to all the personnel of the sea services. The sculpture was created by Stanley Bleifeld, for the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. There are other copies of The Lone Sailor statue in memorials around the United States, one of them is located here in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the Esplanade Park overlooking the New River.

Thank you to the following individuals for their donations to the NASFL Museum:

Karl Bork, LCDR USN Vietnam, donated "Launch", a signed lithograph by R.G. Smith (1914 - 2001). He is considered the master of American aviation art. Born in Los Angeles, Smith began working for Douglas Aircraft in 1936 as an Engineer, producing design proposals for combat aircraft. He was essentially self-taught, with a depth of aviation and engineering knowledge that enriched and enlivened his art. Smith was concerned with accuracy of details, and the power of suggestion; his works are not technically photo-realistic or hyper-realistic, which is why they are works of art rather than technically perfect commercial drawings. A keen observer of detail, he was asked to go to Vietnam in the late 1960's to observe carrier and ground operations. This experience translated into outstanding works of aviation art. Smith created some 2,000 paintings.

George Lord USNR WWII, donated the following books for our Library: 

• A Democracy at War
• Brothers, Rivals Victors
• The United States Navy in WWII
• and At Dawn We Slept: Untold Story of Pearl Harbor
  
  

David Epstein USNR WWII, donated a Boatswain's (Bosun's) pipe. This whistle was originally used for giving commands to the crew. Its high pitched notes could be heard in the worst gales. Now it is largely ceremonial. He also donated a ceremonial U.S flag with signatures from six World War II Veterans.

Charles Schaus USNR WWII, donated a compilation book with original photos from his USS Barton tour.

NAVAL AIR STATION FORT LAUDERDALE
MUSEUM BENEFACTORS - January to September 2013

Dr. Anthony Atwood
 Executive Director at South Florida Military Museum

Robert & Melinda Barnes
In Memory of former member Jack Cawley who was
stationed at the NAS Fort Lauderdale base during WWII


MUSEUM SUPPORTERS - January to September 2013

Capt. Dares Emery Wirt

David Ehlers

Jovanka Semiz
 In memory of former member Anita Zanky

Mr. Matthew Moffit

Therese A. Trimberger
 In memory of Jack Cawley

Mike & Diane Bloedel
In Memory of Jack Cawley

Allan Yoder

Catherine “Kitty” Weidman

The Flight 19 - Soccer Club

Capt. Milton Lapp


THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT!
And also to all the people that donated historic Artifacts, Books, or Naval art!!

 - Donate to the Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum -

Mrs. Carol McQuade in Memory of her husband, Korean Veteran Henry J. McQuade US Army.

• US Army, Korean War Uniform: 1 Officer's Field jacket, 1 Field/Combat Wool uniform jacket and pants, thermal clothing and a U.S Army metal soldier's trunk.
  

Donation from an Anonymous person in Delray Beach, Florida: Two US Marine sterling silver rings from WWII. There is no name inscription on the inside.

Thank you to SCOTT & NORMA WATSON for their wonderful donation of the following World War II artifacts

--Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Pillow Sham. We didn't have one, so it is a great addition!!

--US Military, 1945 Mess Kit. 

--Star Finder and Identifier Kit, from the Hydrographic Office of the Navy.

--Three Technical Manuals published by the War Department from 1940, 1941, and 1942: Aerial Photography, Celestial Navigation, and Air Navigation.

--Naval Aviation Flare Gun which is rather unique. It has on the barrel a unique locking system where it would lock into a port to fire a flare outside the aircraft.

--And also a 45 Shoulder Holster which was one of the types used by the pilots for their sidearm.

These items are on display now at the Museum. Thank you Scott and Norma for your generous donations and for enriching our Museum with these historic artifacts, for the public to enjoy!

Click on thumbnails to enlarge

Song and Service Book
for Ship and Field
1942 Edition
Army and Navy

Donated by Mr. John W. Vickers

Two vintage Lithographs donated by the Wilen Family, in memory of Mr. Ron Wilen of Bridgeville, PA have been added to our Naval Art collection:

Commemorating the 45th Anniversary "The Liberation of Moosburg" April 29, 1945 by famous illustrator and fine artist Barron Storey. Signed, limited edition, lithograph 226/500, 1990.

"Welcome Home, Yank" The white cliffs of Dover and a Spitfire escort mean a safe return for the crew of a damaged B-24 by William S. Phillips, 1982; one of the most widely recognized and collected aviation artists in North
America. Signed, limited edition lithograph 516/1000.

Thank you to the Wilen Family, for their generous donation!

(JR. Graphic Mysteries)

One day in 1945, five US Air Force bombers flew out to sea on a routine mission - and disappeared without a trace. Were they victims of a supernatural force? Explore the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

• Age Range: 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 24 pages
• Publisher: Rosen Publishing Group (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1404221573
• ISBN-13: 978-1404221574

Thank you to Mary Kelly from Bedford, Texas, who donated this book to the Museum! While on a Librarian's Convention in Fort Worth, Mary found this  illustrated book for children.

Kurt Langsenkamp owner of Steel Fabricators, LLC made beautiful bright red torpedo stands, which were designed by Willy Cook of Bromley & Cook Engineering. The torpedoes were secured to the slab which was underneath the guard-house. The dilapidated house was removed by the Airport along with the two most western sections of the fence to improved visibility. They also moved the torpedoes from behind the building onto the stands. Jeff Finder prepared and painted the concrete slab in military gray, and Richard Haddad, John Casey, John Bloom and Ray Rivera helped with its completion. The final touches were applied by member Ben Langley with stenciled insignia. These colorful WWII artifacts definitely stand out as people pass by!