The Monday After: B-26 bomber reunion headed to MAPS Air Museum

Marauder Men soon will be recognized and remembered at MAPS Air Museum in Green.

The annual B-26 Marauder Historical Society reunion will be Aug. 21 through Aug. 23 at MAPS, the museum that restored and displays one of the vintage World War II "Marauder" bombers.

"We've been working with MAPS for years because they have one of the few B-26s in existence," said Melinda Stomel, executive director of the B-26 Marauder Historical Society, who explained that the location of the reunion rotates. "We like to go to places where there is an activity or display related to the B-26 and World War II veterans in general. Our banquet will be in the MAPS hanger, right there with our plane."

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Dave Pawski, who is organizing the event for MAPS as one of the museum's directors, served as crew chief for the restoration of the Martin B-26 Marauder bomber at MAPS.

Pawski, who called it an "honor" to host the event, noted that two previous reunions were held at MAPS. The first was in 1995, the year before he came to the museum. The other was in 2014.

Pawski, who is the crew chief in the restoration of the B-26 at MAPS, said that about a dozen B-26 veterans attended the 2014 reunion.

"The vets were like kids crawling all over the airplane," he recalled. "I wish we were able to complete the plane sooner, but thankfully some have been able to enjoy it who served so long ago."

Number of vets dwindling

Kim Kovesci, director of MAPS, noted that the number of veterans able to attend the reunions has become smaller each year.

"It used to be a lot of pilots, but not so much anymore," Kovesci said. "It's families of pilots and families of crew members."

Pawski, who also is on the historical society's board of directors, said the organization was formed late in the 1980s. It initially was nearly all World War II veterans.

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"I've heard the early reunions had hundreds of members attend," he said, noting he became associated with the society in 2012. "The goal is to keep it going as long as possible so the stories of these warriors and this magnificent plane are not lost to history."

Three veterans – Stanley Walsh, Ellis "Willy" Williamson and Jerry Raschke – who flew on the B-26 during World War II will be attending the reunion, said Roberta Faulkenberry of Oklahoma, who is organizing the event for the historical society. All are around the century mark in age.

"Stan Walsh is driving across the country from California with his son in an RV," said Faulkenberry. "Willy Williamson is coming up from Texas. His daughter is bringing him, I believe.

"Jerry Raschke, who lives in Illinois, was not going to be able to make it this year, but our president reached out and found a pilot willing to fly him in on a corporate jet. He's going to arrive about 6 or 6:30 Sunday night at the Akron-Canton Airport."

The society's president, Josh Muri, has his own story to tell about the B-26, Faulkenberry said. His father flew a B-26 in the Battle of Midway and survived that conflict in a unique fashion.

"Enemy planes were chasing him and he flew down to a Japanese carrier and flew across the (ship's) runway," said Faulkenberry. "He knew the Japanese planes wouldn't shoot at him there."

A reunion itinerary

Such fascinating stories, along with a chance to see historical artifacts, form the foundation for reasons to hold the reunion.

"Our visit will start at the MAPS Museum," a reunion page on the historical society's website notes. "While on site we will visit Charly’s Jewel, a B-26 Marauder, which has been beautifully restored, along with many other restored airplanes.

"Next, we will spend the day with several educational speakers, and visit the University of Akron where the B-26 Archives reside. Along the way, we encounter several surprises, so make sure to join us as we take a small historical step back in time, while visiting WWII veterans, old friends, and making new friends along the way."

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Many of those attending are planning to arrive before Aug. 19-20, so they can take in the "Props & Pistons" air show at Akron Fulton Airport on those dates.

No membership in the historical society is needed to attend the reunion. And, there is no need to have a relative who flew on or maintained a B-26.

"We welcome everybody," Faulkenberry said.

World War II researchers and individuals generally interested in aviation history usually are those who attend without having a family member who served as a member of a B-26 flight crew or ground crew.

Cost of participating in all reunion activities, including "Education Day" Tuesday Aug. 22 at CAK Hilton Garden Inn on Landmark Blvd., is $320. But, individuals can sign up for only the banquet at MAPS that Tuesday night, at which there will be a speaker, for $65. Registration can be made until Aug. 17 at the society's website, b-26mhs.org.

Gathering of Marauder Men

Still, the veterans who flew on B-26 Marauder bombers or those who worked on them on the ground to get them back in the air, remain the focus of the gathering.

The trio of bomber veterans who attend the reunion will become reacquainted with their plane. They, with their family members, will be afforded a "ride" on the ground on the MAPS B-26 – which no longer flies – as it is towed along the tarmac.

And, they will share stories about their experience in the Marauder with those attending the gathering.

"A lot of our members are second and third generation family members," Faulkenberry said, "who generally are looking for more information about their fathers, uncles and grandfathers because these guys never talked about it."

Reach Gary at gary.brown.rep@gmail.com.

On Twitter: @gbrownREP

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: The Monday After: B-26 bomber reunion headed to MAPS Air Museum