Robert “Woody” Woodbury Live at the Bienes Center for the Arts

FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 24th at 7pm. Doors open at 6.
Bienes Center at St. Thomas Aquinas
2801 SW 12 St, Fort Lauderdale, 33312

RESERVE by Phone: (954)513-2272
Online Tickets - Bienes Center: www.bca-sta.org

About Woody Woodbury:
With a rock-solid resume as long as your arm, he was the first to make comedy record albums. He replaced Johnny Carson on daytime TV and then began his own talk show which later became "The Merv Griffin Show". Woody has also shared the screen and stage with many of the world's top performers including Jackie Gleason, Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller, Spike Jones, Johnny Mathis, Kelsey Grammer, Lena Horne...the list is endless. Even with his great "milage", the uproarious WOODY continues to regale audiences with fun, clean and mature humor wherever he performs.
Woodbury’s filmography include: Safe At Home (with Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, 1962); For Those Who Think Young (with James Darren, Tina Louise and Paul Lynde, 1964); Beyond the Bermuda Triangle (TV movie with Fred MacMurray and Donna Mills, 1975); Super Fuzz (with Ernest Borgnine, 1981); and Hardly Working (with Jerry Lewis, 1981).

Surprising to many: Woody was a Marine Corps Fighter Pilot.
That he kept jets and jokes so far apart is of itself, astonishing.

The NAS Fort Lauderdale Museum had a large exhibit at the War Memorial Auditorium, courtesy of Florida East Coast Collector, Inc. We brought in several mannequins, vintage photograph displays about the Naval base and Port Everglades during WWII, poster boards relating to the history of the Museum, Flight 19 videos and NASFL memorabilia. We met many attendees who were very interested in our exhibit. Some of them remembered going to high-school at the naval base, and others (or their relatives) had been stationed at the base. It was a good exchange, as they were able to connect once again with their history. We received a very positive feedback and everyone enjoyed hanging around our booth. Thank you to our volunteers: Allan McElhiney, Debbie Hamilton, Russell Liddick, Fran Scheffler, John & Minerva Bloom, Dorothy Riser, Karl Bork & Mai Hibler, John Casey and David Epstein.

If you are interested in having a presentation of WWII History and the Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale at your School, Institution or Event contact the Museum. We have a traveling exhibit (smaller than this booth) with fold-out boards, memorabilia and videos as well as volunteer staff to do the presentation. Please let us know in advance so we can make preparations.

Thank you to the hardworking and wonderful volunteers from UNIT VTU 0808 G. These Navy Reserve Officers finished the Main Exhibit Room carpet installation at the NASFL Museum! Every piece of carpet was custom cut to fit around the perimeter of the room and posts. This required moving around a lot of things and working on hands and knees. The carpet was donated by Broward County Aviation Department and began to be installed last summer. The work was stopped for a while due to several other projects that were being tackled. On Sunday February 5th, the group arrived at 7:15am and spent the day at the Museum until the project was completed. What a privilege it is to work together with this capable and enthusiastic group! 

Our deepest thanks go to CAPT. SCOTT HAHN, CAPT. MICHAEL McGEHEE, CDR. RICH SILVA, CDR. REY HORTA, CHIEF DEBORAH KRIEGER, JOHN BLOOM and JOHN CASEY.

Lt. Col. Leo R. Gray's life and achievements have been an inspiration to many. He has made significant contributions to the United States throughout his military and civilian careers. Lt.Col. Gray was a formidable Speaker at the Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum Luncheon. He talked about his life during WWII and about his challenges and experiences as part of the Tuskegee Airmen, who were the first African American military aviators in the United States Armed Forces.

During World War II, African Americans in many U.S. states still were subject to the Jim Crow laws. The American military was racially segregated, as was much of the federal government. The Tuskegee Airmen were subject to discrimination, both within and outside the army. Despite these adversities, they trained at Tuskegee Army Air field in Macon County, Alabama, and flew with distinction. Primarily made up of African Americans, there were also five Tuskegee Airmen that were of Haitian descent.

Tuskegee Airmen Combat Records: 
The Tuskegee Airmen compiled the following combat records:
One Destroyer damaged beyond repair.- It was not sunk as had been previously reported. The USAF reports that 27 bombers were lost  while being escorted by the Red Tail pilots.They flew a total of 179 bomber escort missions.

• 112 Aircraft destroyed in aerial combat. Red Tail losses were 12. That indicates a kill ratio of about 10 to 1. Additional Aircraft (about 150) were destroyed by the Red Tails on the ground.
• 148 aircraft probably destroyed or damaged. Note: Not much is said about "Aircraft probably destroyed or damaged".
• 15,533 sorties
• 312 missions
• 66 killed in action
• 80 killed overseas
  
• 84 killed in training and non-combat missions
• 95 Distinguished Flying Crosses awarded
• 355 pilots sent overseas.
  
  In all, 996 pilots were trained in Tuskegee from 1941 to 1946, 355 were deployed overseas, 150 Airmen lost their lives in accidents or combat and 32 fell into captivity as prisoners of war.
  
  Tuskegee Airmen Accomplishments:
  The Tuskegee Airmen were credited by higher commands with the following accomplishments:
  
  
• 112 German aircraft destroyed in the air, another 150 on the ground
• 950 rail-cars, trucks and other motor vehicles destroyed
• One destroyer damaged beyond repair
  
• A good record of protecting U.S. bombers, losing 27 on 179 escort missions.

Tuskegee Airmen Awards and decorations
Awarded for valor and performance included:

• Three Distinguished Unit Citations
• 99th Pursuit Squadron: 30 May–11 June 1943 for the capture of Pantelleria, Italy
• 99th Fighter Squadron: 12–14 May 1944: for successful air strikes against Monte Cassino, Italy
• 332d Fighter Group: 24 March 1945: for the longest bomber escort mission of World War II
• At least one Silver Star
• 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses
• 14 Bronze Stars
• 744 Air Medals
• Eight Purple Hearts.
  
  RED TAILS NICKNAME: When the pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group painted the tails of their P-51's red, the nickname "Red Tails" was coined. Bomber crews applied a more effusive "Red-Tail Angels" sobriquet.
  
  To read the Biography of Lt. Col. Leo Gray click here