Flight 19 Ceremony

On 5 December, 2011 the 66th Flight 19 Memorial Ceremony was conducted at the Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum building. About 130 people attended, including Jack Seiler Mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti with several of his officers, County Commissioner Chip LaMarca, Ismael Bonilla Deputy Director of Broward County Aviation, Navy League President- Commander Tom Melville USN (ret), Sgt. Major Don Bennett USMC (ret) with his Stranahan High School MJROTC Color Guard, and WWII and other war Veterans as well as several members of the Press.

• The Master of Ceremony was Chief Warrant Anthony Atwood, USNR.
• Chaplain Jay Walrond performed the Pledge of Allegiance and the Invocation.
  
• The principal Speaker was Captain Peter Husta, USN - Fourth Fleet Liaison Officer at U.S Southern Command.
• Captain Frank Dailey USNR (ret) spoke about "Prewar 1941 and Postwar 1945: Challenges for Training Commands."
• There was a tribute to the 95 servicemen who died while training at NASFL, including those of Flight 19 and NAS Banana River.
• Mike McGee performed the Flight 19 "Reading of the Names".
• The "Sounding of the Bell" was performed by Donald Prichard, Executive Officer to the Sheriff (served in Iraq).
• The lovely Vocalist Jahida Jorganes sang "God Bless America".
• The master Bugler was Robert Young who began and closed the ceremony.
• There were four NASFL WWII personnel present: George Lord, Aviation Gunner's Mate on TBMs, William Warneke, Aviation Radioman on TBMs, Johnny Johnson, Aviaton Gunner's Mate on TBMs and Jack Bellow, Aviation Gunner's Mate on TBMs.
  

Thank you all for attending, in remembrance of the brave men and women who have served in the defense of our beloved United States of America. May their sacrifice be always remembered.

Thanks for attending,

Allan McElhiney, President
NAS Fort Lauderdale Museum

- Click on thumbnails to read description -
Photos by Minerva Bloom for the NASFL Museum

__In attendance there was a WWII veteran that was stationed here at NASFL, Jack Bellow, USN WWII - Aviation Gunner's Mate on TBMs. He said he was supposed to be the 15th man on Flight 19, but was spared the tragedy when he took leave. His brother called and told him their mother was sick in Philadelphia. As luck had it, another man Corporal Allen Kosner, also asked to be excused from the exercise. The mystery certainly deepens.