Arsenal Of Democracy Fly-Over: Remembering Who We Are

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Editor’s note: The AoD flyover was intended to commemorate the formal end of World War II. It was scheduled for Friday, September 25 and postponed to Saturday due to weather. Conditions were still too poor on Saturday and the event was canceled.

World War II ended in Europe on May 8, 1945. Although victory in the Pacific Theater was three months in the future, with the fall of the European Axis powers the eventual outcome seemed certain; only the timing—and the cost—remained to be determined.

On Aug. 14, 1945, the end was determined, but not quite reached, with Japan’s unconditional surrender. The official end of the war was declared three weeks later, on Sept. 2, 1945, aboard the battleship U.S.S. Missouri, when the Allied nations formally accepted Japan’s surrender in Tokyo Bay. 

Lt. Col. Thomas R. (Bob) Vaucher scored a front row balcony seat to that event when Gen. Curtis LeMay tasked the young B-29 Commander to lead a flight of B-29s over the Missouri as the surrender document was signed. It was a fitting choice, as Vaucher had received the first B-29 delivered by Boeing. LeMay promised MacArthur all flying B-29s would participate; 525 did, the largest mass formation of B-29s in history.

MacArthur spoke that day for Allies gracious in victory: “[It is not] for us here to meet, representing as we do a majority of the peoples of the earth, in a spirit of distrust, malice, or hatred. But rather it is for us, both victors and vanquished, to rise to that higher dignity which alone befits the sacred purposes we are about to serve ….”

On Sept. 24, 2020, Lt. Col. Vaucher, looking 50 years younger than his 102, rose and addressed the pilots and crews of warbirds assembled in Culpeper, Virginia, to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of those events. (Culpeper served as the staging area for the vintage aircraft to take a part in the event which was, unfortunately, cancelled due to weather.)

In a strong, clear, unwavering voice, this man who shaped much history and witnessed more spent twice as much time thanking others than telling his story.

Connie Palacioz was 18 years old when Boeing transformed aluminum and steel into B-29s. She knows because that’s how old she was when she riveted B-29s together in 1943. One of her airplanes spent 45 years in desert storage after a career in the skies. When that airplane was rescued for return to service, it was missing exactly seven of the hundreds of rivets Connie had set and planted. Connie joined the team of volunteers that brought that aircraft back to life. We know it today as the B-29 “Doc.”

Marine Paul Hilliard initially resisted assignment to the Navy’s air wing. He was 17 when he enlisted in the Corps in 1943, a senior in high school who secured his mother’s permission to quit school so he could serve. Marines, he knew, fought on the ground. But the Navy needed airborne radiomen and radar operators so Hilliard became one. Cross trained as a gunner on Douglas SBD Dauntless scout bombers, he completed 45 combat missions in the South Pacific.

Like Vaucher and Palacioz before him, Hilliard spent more time thanking others than reciting his story. In particular, he thanked, with emotion he was unable to suppress, Bob, Connie, and everyone else connected to the B-29 for helping end the war before the invasion of Japan that Hilliard knew was coming, and that he knew would be a dreadful fight. He didn’t mention that, after the war, he went on to build a very successful oil company and in June of this year, at 94, completed a successful two-year term as Chairman of the Board of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

As the assembled warbird pilots and crews prepared to brief the day’s practice sorties, it fell to a Brit to summarize what we’d heard. Mike Dale, former Royal Air Force pilot, former head of Jaguar’s U.S. operations, enthusiastic ambassador for Culpeper Regional Airport and passionate American, said, “I truly believe in American Exceptionalism. No one in the history of humanity has had the power to rule the world and hasn’t tried, except one nation, the USA. This is a tectonic change in human behavior. This sets this wonderful country apart from any other country in the history of the world.”

It is good that the 75th Anniversaries of V-E Day and V-J Day came at us in 2020. This is a year in which we need to be reminded who we are.

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8 COMMENTS

  1. “Those who do not learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.”
    We’re now working on a third consecutive generation of history know-nothings.
    Danger, Will Robinson.

  2. “As the assembled warbird pilots and crews prepared to brief the day’s practice sorties, it fell to a Brit to summarize what we’d heard. Mike Dale, former Royal Air Force pilot, former head of Jaguar’s U.S. operations, enthusiastic ambassador for Culpeper Regional Airport and passionate American, said, “I truly believe in American Exceptionalism. No one in the history of humanity has had the power to rule the world and hasn’t tried, except one nation, the USA. This is a tectonic change in human behavior. This sets this wonderful country apart from any other country in the history of the world.””

    Yes… always and forever…

  3. ““I truly believe in American Exceptionalism. No one in the history of humanity has had the power to rule the world and hasn’t tried, except one nation, the USA. This is a tectonic change in human behavior. This sets this wonderful country apart from any other country in the history of the world.”

    I love my country, spent 8 years in US Navy/Naval Aviation, another 8 years working in humanitarian/mission aviation supporting indigenous people in third world and emerging nations, and would not want to live anywhere else other than the USA. Plus, (my disclaimer)I know everything on nothing and nothing on everything.

    I am glad this is a commemoration of the end of WWII. My Dad was a GI, my mother survived the repeated bombing of Berlin, and then the Russian occupation of Berlin specifically led by the Mongolian members of the Russian Army at the orders of Stalin.

    I am a German immigrant, US citizen, and heard kids and parents describing me and my Mom as Nazi, Kraut, warmongers, Jew killer, and few other hateful names. I did not know at the time, what they meant. But I could tell by their expressions and tone of voice, it was not good. This was in NW Ohio in the middle 50’s. My Mom, went through the naturalization process, and became a US citizen in 1966. We were very proud of her to say the least. As a result of all this and more, I have had a fascination with world history, and particularly as it created the US and America’s evolution since then.

    Nothing on this planet stays static. History reveals and demonstrates a constant state of change. That constant state of change applies to the US as well. Ben Franklin was asked by a Mrs Powell, wife of the then Philadelphia mayor, and influential socialite ( who became close personal friends with Mr. and Mrs. Washington) this question when finished with the Constitution. “Dr. Franklin have we a republic or a monarchy” ( she was well known for her wit as well as Franklin). Franklin replied, “We have given you a republic, if you can keep it”. She immediately responded with another question…”And why not keep it?”. Franklin…”Because the people, upon tasting the dish, are disposed to eating more of it than does them good.” ( from notes written by James McHenry, delegate from Maryland working during the Constitutional Convention with Franklin)

    When I enlisted in the Navy, the enlistment slogan was “It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure”. That enlistment slogan changed to ” A Global Force for Good”. According to the Navy Times, that was changed in early 2017 when the marketing and communications agency of Young and Rubicam the Navy hired decided the best way to reach the “Centennials aged between 17-21” is “Forged by the Sea”. There have been 10 new US Navy enlistment slogans in the last 45 years. It demonstrates very well the change of attitudes of the role of the US Navy when we went to an all volunteer military. “It’s not that we aren’t a global force for good, but rather that the tagline alone doesn’t capture all of who we really are,” then-spokesman to the chief of naval personnel, Cmdr. Chris Servello, told Navy Times in 2014… (took 18 months of market research to come up with “Forged by the Sea”).

    Today, we are a democracy. That is not a republic. After WWII, history shows US involvement in shaping global governmental changes (with various levels of success or failures) in N/S Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Iran/Iraq/ Afghanistan/Syria, Costa Rica/Nicaragua ( Iran-Contra), Cuba, Cambodia, Somalia, Libya, Israel, to name just a few. The US, as a significant player in the Allied victory, determined reshaping the governments of Europe via the Marshall plan, in addition to Japan, the Philippines, and China shortly thereafter.

    We have not been an isolationist country for a long time. Our collective fingerprints with all of its influences are all over every country, every economy, every government. Just because we have not accomplished all of this via gunpoint does not mean we do not alter nor direct what we think is a superior way of global living. This includes leadership changes when we think it is necessary via a variety of sanctions for example. Or, the lethal end of a Predator. Or by financial influences such as Coca-Cola, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonalds, Nike, Exxon, Shell, Bayer, Phizer, Ford, GM, Chrysler, etc. The global barter of fuel is with US dollars.

    I agree with “I truly believe in American Exceptionalism.”

    I disagree with “No one in the history of humanity has had the power to rule the world and hasn’t tried, except one nation, the USA. This is a tectonic change in human behavior. This sets this wonderful country apart from any other country in the history of the world.”

    I look forward to more aviation fly bys celebrating the end of WWII. But that celebration of victory over tyranny, by WWII warbirds, has evolved in many ways, to a celebration of aviation military power that has moved toward a recruitment effort that suggests the US and its global interests have been the same since our inception. Human nature demonstrated throughout history says otherwise. The US is not immune from “”…the people, upon tasting the dish, are disposed to eating more of it than does them good.””

  4. I love this country too, though I’m just a guy, just a citizen who carries indigenous DNA, so yes, I’ve heard insults too.
    The fact that US influence has not been at gunpoint is precisely the point.
    Wielding influence is not nearly the same as waging war, nor subjugation by force of a populace. Lives have been saved and friends have been made as a result, though, quite predictably, not everyone has always been happy.
    Coca-Cola, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonalds, Nike, Exxon, Pfizer, Ford, GM, and Chrysler are private sector businesses, not agents of the US government. Shell and Bayer are not US companies.
    As far as the US dollar being the global currency that it is, it’s wise to recall that at the time of its collapse the Soviet Union’s black market, due to its capitalist nature, was the only vibrant and thriving sector of their economy and had been for decades. The preferred currency was the US dollar. The dollar was perceived as having true exchange value for goods and services anywhere in the world and the Soviet ruble was not. This choice was not made by the US government but by the participants in that system.
    This flyover commemorates the end of a brutal war that devastated the planet. I believe we learned a better way as a result of that war. I don’t see anything of a recruitment effort here.

  5. Chris K…Thoughtful and much appreciated reply.

    The US did not become the sole “Superpower” in a vacuum. Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, there has been several countries looking to dethrone the US. Likewise, the US has no intention of losing numero uno status.

    The US has goals and agenda just as any other country. Private and publicly owned US companies/corporations do not enter another country without political access. Nor do they start negotiations outside US shores without considerable national and regional political consultation, guidance, recommendations, and permission. Political access comes from persuasive lobbying. Those companies provide an avenue that opens a country not only to US products but US influence, particularly affecting local/regional, and national politics, including economic policies. No one forced China to open its doors to Kentucky Fried Chicken. But KFC and thousands of other US companies play a significant role in shaping Chinese evolving domestic policies. And for those domestic policies, the Chinese have access to the US, that no amount of military might could have accomplished. Who would have dreamed Cirrus, Mooney, and Diamond would be owned by the Chinese including company portions by it’s military.

    Time will tell whose influence is stronger and if that strength ends up a benefit to its respective citizens. Time will also reveal what happens to the global community as a whole as a result of economic relationships forged between two or more different ideologies (all desiring global dominance) united on economic ties. Makes for great political rhetoric but uneasy national security. Money makes for strange bedfellows.

    The US regularly sends countless billion dollars in foreign aid not specifically for the direct benefit of its citizens. Instead, it is operating finances for the political leaders to more “effectively run” their country. And if the US government feels that country is not fully cooperating with evolving US interests in that region, the money flow stops. Often, this loss of operating revenue destabilizes the country with the inevitable leadership change that follows, with more US sympathetic replacements encouraged by the US in exchange for resumption of foreign aid. Again, not a shot fired but leadership change nonetheless.

    The US citizens as a whole, is without a doubt, most benevolent. However, citizen benevolence and use of taxpayer money by the US government for for foreign aid are not the same level of “benevolence” nor of the same intent. Having to depend on average US citizens thoughtfulness, foresight, and compassion for a large portion of operating funds providing humanitarian care for others far less fortunate is humbling yet inspiring. That is a significant part of American Exceptionalism. I have never seen the term American Exceptionalism however, apply to the US government.

    The WWII fly by commemorating the end of WWII was a very noble thing to do. Too bad the weather did not cooperate. It’s intent was pure, I believe. History needs to be preserved. History forgotten, will be repeated.

    After attending Rockford and Oshkosh faithfully since 1967 with a couple years or so missed due to my military obligations, the regular afternoon airshow has become quite a recruitment effort in recent years with the largely military displays and performances. I am not leveling an accusations, nor crying foul. It’s just personal observations that over the years has lead me to my own conclusions. What the EAA does for aviation is astounding. And the US military is providing some of those EAA resources to accomplish EAA goals.

    If you are the number one and only “superpower” there are some bennies that come with that, including having a globally recognized and often traded currency. And use of that currency allows a tremendous amount of global persuasion for that currency to be used as the benchmark currency for payment and exchange of global resources. Therefore, to suggest the US interests has not significantly changed to gain world dominance since WWII, evolving to the number one position, economically, politically, and militarily without significantly persuading the rest of the world to tow a similar line…is not something I can agree with.

    The blog’s title is…”The Arsenal of Democracy Fly Over: Remembering Who We Are”. I believe it should read : Who We Were. But the title is accurate in that we are now a democracy rather than a republic. Dr. Franklin had some keen insights.

    “No one in the history of humanity has had the power to rule the world and hasn’t tried, except one nation, the USA. This is a tectonic change in human behavior. This sets this wonderful country apart from any other country in the history of the world.” We have tried and succeeded to be the only world “Superpower”. We rule the world economically, politically, and militarily. No change in human behavior. We just are at the top of the heap. Other have a similar passion to be number one stemming from natural human behavior.

    The US has succeeded in a variety of ways to gain and maintain number one status. Many of the US strengths to accomplish this goal were exercised with out a shot being fired. But nonetheless, world dominance is the goal. Preservation of that position is now becoming a way of daily life for US taxpayer. The question is, are we better off today than we were yesterday in that effort? And is the world better off for that dominance?

    • Thank you, Jim, for your comments. Viewed from the perspective of time, historical events can be like Rorschach inkblots: stimuli onto which we project meanings that are as much products of our own psyches as of what actually happened. And, sad to say, we live in a time when American history is often read and interpreted in the light most disparaging to the United States.

      As I interpret history, the events cited in your comments reflect American altruism and a desire to make available to the rest of the world the blessings we have found in our way of life. American products are known and enjoyed around the world because they are darn good products, designed by a people whose imaginations are free to assess and critique things honestly without fear of reprisal, free to envision a better world without government restraints on their imagination, and free to invest in making visions of a better life real.

      I believe this interpretation of history, or something like it, animated the heroic actions and severe sacrifices of those who fought in WWII and other conflicts to secure our freedoms and our way of life. This spirit continues to animate Americans today. Is the United States a perfect society? No, not close; we too often fall short of our own values and aspirations, as fallible humans must. As Churchill is said to have observed, “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.” The point, I think, is the deep desire of Americans in all walks of life to do the right thing, and our stubborn commitment to keep at it until we’ve done it.

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