The French Government has asked the Secretary of VA for assistance in identifying qualified US veterans for medal consideration, to be reviewed and approved by the Legion of Honor Committee in Paris, France. French consulates in the US will distribute approximately 100 medals each year. Members of the Army Air Corps. Navy, and Coast Guard who participated in one of the four major campaigns in the liberation of France (Normandy, Southern France, Northern France and the Ardennes) are eligible.    Those applying must have written documentation (normally a copy of military separation order,. DD-214, and other official orders which verify military history during combat).

Any previous military awards such as the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, etc., would indicate meritorious actions during combat operations. Copies of these documents should be forwarded with the request for consideration for the French Legion of Honor to:

The Defense Attaché
Embassy of France
4101 Reservoir Road
NW, Washington, DC 20007
(for more information, call them at: 202-944-6502 or FAX 202-944-6538
Or e-mail: info@ambafrance-us.org

Any US WWII veteran who fought in France, the French Departments (French Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), French offshore waters, or French airspace is eligible to apply.  The Legion of Honor, France's highest decoration, was initiated by Napoleon Bonaparte.  The process can take several months.  If anyone has questions or would like help with the application they are welcome to contact Historian Anthony Atwood, a member and Board Director of the NASFL Museum. US veterans who helped in the liberation of France during WWII could be eligible to receive the French Legion of Honor Medal, previously issued only to WWI Vets.

Member Gary Kilbride presented NASFL Museum founder Allan McElhiney with a vintage commemorative T-shirt of the Curtiss Pusher. The 1911 Curtiss Model D (or frequently, "the Curtiss pusher") was an early United States pusher aircraft with the engine and propeller behind the pilot's seat. It was among the very first aircraft in the world to be built in any quantity—all of which were produced during an era of trial and error development and equally important parallel technical development in internal combustion engine technologies. It was also the type of aircraft to make the first take-off from the deck of a ship, the USS Birmingham, and the first landing, on the USS Pennsylvania several days apart.

Kermit Weeks founder of Fantasy of Flight in Orlando, Florida testing a restored Curtiss Pusher

Members of the NASFL Museum attended the "World Wide D-Day School picnic for Peace & Freedom Event" at the campus of the Cooper City Elementary School on June 6. This event was held across the world, for students to honor veterans of WWII. Among this group of veterans are Museum members George Lord, Leo Gray & Paul Bradley.

Presently in pre-production is a documentary by Producer Ron Lowther, a member of this Museum, who is currently on a multi-city journey across the county to film interviews with the Veterans of the 756th Tank Battalion, and document their journey from North Africa to Berlin. The main focus of the film will be about the men who crewed the M4 Sherman Tanks. From inside a sweat box to an ice box, these men endured grueling, if not horrific, experiences throughout World War II in a tank. With Lowther's experience he is expecting this project to be another award winning film on his resume`. He wants audiences to smell, taste and feel what it was like to be at the controls of a Sherman Tank.

To become a sponsor for the film please go to: 
The 756th Info Page

See Weston Lifestyle article about the 756th project:
http://issuu.com/lifestylemagazines/docs/1012wl/17

William Davids donated a 1960 Commemorative Coin from the christening of the USS Enterprise, September 24, 1960. The USS Enterprise (CVN-65), formerly CVA(N)-65, is the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth United States naval vessel to bear the name. Like her predecessor of World War II fame, she is nicknamed the "Big E". She is the longest naval vessel in the world. Thanks for the memento Mr. Davids!

William Davids, was a former Air Force Aircraft Mechanic and then a Flight Engineer for American Trans Air 20 years ago. In the course of 40 years, he has been investigating relics, treasures and people, with precision. He uses his own unique approach with locations on satellite maps and intuitive observations. He has been fascinated with Flight 19 and began his research 2 years ago. He believes the Mariner rescue plane (#6 on the above satellite map) is by the Atlantic Continental Shelf and that the rest of Flight 19 aircraft, is currently strewn in the ocean floor (points on map). He has detailed locations by GPS numbers, with each number at different readings and depths. To request more detailed information you can e-mail him at: mysticmanhunter@aol.com

Broward Teens and Tweens Homeschoolers, visited the NASFL Museum to learn about the Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale during World War II. Veteran David Epstein, a volunteer at the Museum, related his experiences in the war and talked about his job as a Parachute Rigger for the Navy.

"The students enjoyed it immensely, and we all learned so much. Having a veteran to talk to, was a wonderful addition to the experience."
In appreciation,

Denise Thompson
Teens and Tweens homeschoolers

Thalassa France 3, one of the oldest running documentary TV series in France— which focuses entirely on the sea and presented by Georges Pernoud, filmed on location at the Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum for a documentary on Flight 19. Jon F. Myhre, aircraft expert in Sebastian, FL, was a key interview for the team. Mr Myhre wrote Discovery of Flight 19 after a 30 year research and discovery process, including five dives into the Atlantic ocean, plus six expeditions into the Florida wilderness. Date of broadcast to be announced.